The Living Dead
by MissOlympicWriter WYD 2008
Summary: STORY BEEN ABANDONED!.Harry goes 2 the forest looking for Unicorns with Hagrid, and finds more than he was looking for. A vampire in the forest bites Harry, and causes a whole mess of problems. Harry goes through all 7 years and beyond as the Living Dea
1. Chapter 1

The Living Dead

**The Living Dead**

**Chapter 1: Detention**

Harry Potter was just heading out of the clearing after encountering the remnants of Lord Voldemort. He knew it was Voldemort because he's the only _creature _evil enough to attack something as pure as a Unicorn. Harry was eleven years old, and was serving a detention in the Forbidden Forest near the end of his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry was alone in the forest since his ... partner... Draco Malfoy ran off, taking Fang the Boarhound with him. Personally, he thought Malfoy had the right idea. Then he looked at the dead Unicorn, and rage filled him. _On second thought, Malfoy's a bloody coward, and I know deep down I wanted to stand and fight. Though I didn't do much fighting._

As the little boy walked out of the clearing, the creature watched. _I just know if I try to attack one of his little ones Dumbledore will end this. He would have no choice, and I am heartily tired of this, what do I call it, life? No, not life, I've been dead for four hundred years. Sustaining myself on the blood of innocents. This is why I left my Black Forest home, to end it. Well, I guess I must attack, or Dumbledore will never know of my presence. _And he jumped the small boy, sinking his fangs in the child's neck almost in an instant.

When Harry was attacked from behind, he reacted instinctively. He bit hard into the arm of the person holding him. He was scared when he felt the person _drinking _his _blood._ Then the person let go and disappeared into the darkness. Harry collapsed onto the leaf-strewn ground and felt the world going dark. He could hear hoof-beats, but didn't feel rough hands picking him up.

Firenze the centaur hurriedly took the injured child up to the castle. The boy was rushed into the infirmary and Madame Pomfrey started trying to heal him, but she already knew it was a lost cause. Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall both came running in, and she turned to the teachers fearfully.

"It was a Vampire, Headmaster. And he isn't going to make it," the head nurse said mournfully.

Dumbledore said, "We must tell the students only that it was a tragic accident in the forest. There would be a panic if word of a Vampire in the forest got out." At hearing these words, McGonagall burst into tears. She had come to view this precious child as a grandson. He was so brilliant, and sweet; he didn't deserve this fate. He was a model Gryffindor, so brave and noble.

Time ticked on. Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley, Harry's best friends, were called and told he had been attacked in the Forest, probably by Voldemort. Dumbledore had told this tale because he didn't want to alarm the two first years unnecessarily. Ron Weasley left after that, trying to hide tears. Finally, at almost one o' clock in the morning, Madame Pomfrey checked on Harry and said, "Time of Death: 12:58 on May 27th, 1992." She choked up saying that; she was also mourning the loss of the sweet little boy. Ron wasn't there to here the announcement. Nor would he be there for the big surprise...

Four hours later, Hermione Granger was still crying over the dead body of her best friend. She stared at his sheet-covered face, imagining she could see the look of peace on it. Over the last several months she had discovered how terrible his life had been. _And now, he's at peace. He's with his parents. _Then, the sheet twitched. It looked like Harry was getting up, but that was impossible...

Harry Potter awoke in darkness. He sat up, pushing the sheet down off his head. He saw Hermione backing away quickly. "Hermione, what are you doing in the boys' dormitory?" Harry asked, not knowing where he was.

"ARGHH!" Hermione screamed. Madame Pomfrey came running and saw Harry sitting up. She put a hand to her chest and sent a message to Dumbledore. He came quickly, realizing the significance of the warning _"HE'S AWAKE!"_ It could mean only one thing, as Harry was the only patient, albeit dead. He approached the boy cautiously. He wasn't sure if he'd be vicious, like his brethren. "Harry, how do you feel?" he asked.

"I feel fine, sir," Harry replied confused. He recognized Dumbledore's caution, but was unsure as to why the most powerful wizard in the world would be _afraid _of a child.

"What do you remember about what happened in the forest?" Dumbledore asked next.

"Someone grabbed me from behind, I couldn't fight back or get away; he was too strong. I managed to bite him on the arm, but I was really scared when he drank my blood. Why would he do that, was he insane?" Harry asked curiously.

"You bit him?" Dumbledore asked, trying to clarify Harry's story, though he didn't need any clarification. The fact that he was sitting up and talking four hours after being pronounced dead was proof enough. The Boy-Who-Lived was a Vampire.

Hermione was listening to the whole story, and her emotions were going through the entire spectrum. First there was horror at what had happened, anger that it had happened, then pity for her friend. Lastly, there was acceptance. She was determined to support him, no matter what. She couldn't fathom a time when she would not stand by him.

A week later, Harry looked very well for being dead. While he was in the hospital wing he had gotten a note and a package from Dumbledore. The package was a ring, and the note said he had found the ring in an old shop he used to frequent. The ring was supposed to hide the effects of living death. It allowed a vampire to look like he was eating real food, when in all actuality the food was vanishing in the mouth. Harry kept the ring on at all times.

At dinner one night, Harry noticed that Quirrell looked even more nervous than usual, like he was planning something. He decided to keep an eye on him. When Quirrell left the Great Hall, he left too. He followed the Defense teacher all the way to the third floor where he saw him enter the forbidden corridor. He knew he had to stop him, but he didn't know how he'd do that. He saw a shadow and stepped into it. Quirrell put Fluffy to sleep and went down the trap door. Harry wanted to follow, but he didn't want to risk waking the dog. After a most curious sensation, Harry noticed that he was in an open room with a large mirror and a lot of pillars. He had appeared in between two pillars behind the mirror. He watched and waited; finally, Quirrell came.

Quirrell was trying to figure out how to get the Stone from the mirror. Harry was circling around him, moving from shadow to shadow. He hadn't taken the ring off, but he could feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins. It was affecting him in certain ways: he could feel his fangs starting to descend. He was watching for the right moment to attack. Suddenly, Quirrell turned around.

"Ah, Potter! So good of you to join us! But I must ask, how did you follow me so quietly?" Quirrell said with a sneer.

"I didn't wish to be seen. That's why you didn't notice me," Harry replied coldly. He stepped closer, almost threateningly.

Dumbledore left after that. He had followed Harry down here to see what he was up to, and he didn't like what he saw. He had no idea he had misunderstood Voldemort's meaning. This misunderstanding would dictate how Dumbledore would treat Harry in the future.

Harry suddenly leaped on Quirrell, drawing his wand at the same time. Quirrell leaped back in response. "_Incarcerous!_" Harry shouted. Quirrell, taken by surprise by the non-offensive spell, had allowed himself to be caught in the ropes. Harry leaped forward and grabbed Quirrell who struggled out of the ropes and fought Harry off. Harry caught him again and grabbed him once again. This time, Quirrell wasn't able to fight the younger wizard off. He disintegrated after the prolonged physical contact. Voldemort fled Quirrell's body and the school.

Now that the threat of the Dark Lord was neutralized, harry studied the mirror. He saw himself putting the Stone in his pocket, and smiled. He stepped back into the shadows to return to main castle. Once there, he sent Dumbledore the Stone with a school owl. He had guessed that he'd been followed because he'd felt the fear. Because of that, he didn't want to try to convince Dumbledore he'd been wrong, or he'd still be trying to prove himself years later. He planned to gather proof that he'd always been loyal to Dumbledore over the years then present it to him all at once.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Now that first year is over, time for second

**Author's Note: **Now that first year is over, time for second. Please review if you're reading.  
**  
****Chapter 2 Barriers**

The summer was just beginning for Harry. Usually it would mean two months of degradation, but this time Harry wasn't going to give the Dursleys the satisfaction. He went through the barrier, idly wondering why the sun wasn't bothering him. When he saw the Dursleys waiting for him he went over to them, sighing.

"Come on, boy, we don't have all day," Vernon Dursley said, not seeming to notice that his nephew had grown over the school year.

Harry got in the car after stowing his trunk. The Dursleys climbed in and Petunia said, "The roof is leaking and we're expecting a storm tonight. It's your job to fix it." Harry sighed in response. "Well, boy. Are you going to say something?" Petunia sneered.

"Yes, I'll fix the roof, Aunt Petunia," Harry said dully. The sun kept beating down on his face. It stung a little, but not much.

When they got home, Harry saw the roof, or what was left of the roof. He knew it would be an all-night job because more than half the roof was gone. "What happened to the roof? Did you let Dudley up there?" Harry asked incredulously. After saying that he instinctively ducked, just in time to see Vernon's meaty fist swipe the air above his head. Wisely, harry kept his mouth shut after that.

Four hours later, Harry was still working on the roof. He found it easy to scramble along the trusses, almost catlike. The sky started getting darker, but Harry's vision was not being impaired. "Potter, you might as well come in before the storm starts. We don't want you breaking anything because you can't see," Vernon called up to him.

"I'm fine, Uncle Vernon," Harry called back. "I can see just fine." And with that, he continued working. The Dursleys had already strung a tarp below the trusses. Rain drops started pattering down, lightly at first, but soon it was pouring. Harry was still working in the rapidly fading light. Lightning started flashing, illuminating the sidewalk. Suddenly, Harry saw something on the sidewalk. It was two cloaked figures, and they looked like they were having a meeting.

Harry wasn't worried about being seen. He slipped his ring off and leaped lightly to the other side of the roof. He looked down, making sure there were no windows, and jumped. He landed with nary a sound. Harry went around the house, keeping to the shadows, and suddenly appeared in a shadow across the street. Now he was close enough to overhear part of the men's conversation.

"... man says the boy lives in this area," one man muttered.

The other man replied, "The Dark Lord needs him to return. He will not thank us to kill the boy now."

Neither man knew Harry was listening to their conversation. Harry, however, had gotten a good look at the two men, even though they had kept their hoods up in the torrential downpour. With one positive ID, and a shrewd guess as to the other man's identity, Harry went back to work. Upon finishing, he put his ring back on and went in the house. "Now mop up the water the tarp didn't stop, boy," Petunia ordered. Harry went to this new task without complaint. The work would give him a chance to think about what he'd heard outside.

Two months later, Harry was with the Weasleys at the train station. They were getting ready to board the Hogwarts Express for their next year. Percy had already gone through the barrier, eager for his sixth year. The twins, Fred and George, had gone through for their fourth year of pranks. Ginny had been taken through by both her parents for her first year. That left Ron with Harry. Ron was running for the barrier when Harry sensed something. It was a lack of magic; the barrier had closed early. Before he could warn Ron, the older boy had slammed into the solid brick wall and bounced off. "I was _trying _to tell you the barrier was closed," Harry remarked with a laugh. At that moment the clock struck eleven and the train pulled out of the station, unseen by so many people.

Meanwhile, Hermione noticed that neither of her friends were on the train. Luckily, she saw a teacher patrolling. "Professor Snape, Harry and Ron didn't come through the barrier. I think they might have been left behind," she told the greasy professor. He grumbled and sent a patronus ahead to alert Dumbledore that his precious savior couldn't tell time.

When Dumbledore received the patronus his blood ran cold. The thought of a vicious vampire loose in a crowded train station in the middle of London gave him goose bumps. He Flooed to the Leaky Cauldron immediately and from there Apparated to Kings Cross. What he saw there filled him with such relief he felt lightheaded, for there was Harry arguing with Ron.

"... take Dad's car, he won't miss it," Ron was saying.

"I said no, Ron. Hermione probably missed us and told someone. I'm sure if we wait right here someone will come," Harry argued back. "Headmaster, you don't have to hide. I don't bite," Harry said then, without turning around. The young vampire had sensed Dumbledore's approach.

"Come along, boys. I'll take you to the castle," Dumbledore said. "Once we arrive, you can tell me why you didn't take the train like everyone else."

Ron and Harry went with Dumbledore to the Leaky Cauldron, where they all Flooed to Hogwarts. Ron was thinking about what happened. About how Dumbledore came so quickly and the relief he saw on the aged wizard's face when he saw Harry. The conclusion he came to, of course, was that Dumbledore worships the ground Harry walks on and doesn't want him lost. Ron Weasley was seething with jealousy, and formulating a plan to take Harry down a peg or two. Because he was wrapped in his own thoughts, he didn't hear how Harry had received a visit from a House Elf earlier in the summer, or how he had been warned not to return to Hogwarts on pain of an almost certain death. Later, Dumbledore let them go down to the feast with the other students. That's where Ron decided to start putting his plan into action.

During the feast, Hermione only had eyes for Ron. He had been telling her some tall tales about how they would have been kidnapped if it wasn't for him, and how it was his idea to wait at the station on the hunch that someone would come. He also told Hermione that Harry was trying to insist they steal a flying car to get to school. Hermione thought Ron was so brave, and got over her schoolgirl crush on Harry. She thought he could never love her back because he was dead.

Meanwhile, Harry was staring at Snape. He had never trusted the man, even before that fateful night last May. It seemed that Harry's mistrust only grew after his unfortunate death. "Hermione, how evil would you say Snape is?" Harry asked, calmly.

"Harry, don't talk with your mouth full, and I don't think he's evil. He's a teacher, and Dumbledore wouldn't have hired him if he was evil." Hermione replied absentmindedly.

"He hired Voldemort last year. Would you say Voldemort isn't evil?" Harry shot back, but she ignored him. Harry knew then that there was a barrier between him and Hermione. He trusted that she wouldn't reveal his secret, and he guessed that the depth of their friendship had lessened.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: I know Hermione dropped her crush unusually quickly, but it had to be that way

**Author's Note: **I know Hermione dropped her crush unusually quickly, but it had to be that way. I have plans for Ron that need that, and I will say no more here... Also, remember people cover fear with aggression.

**Chapter 3 Close Encounters**

Harry Potter had left the Great Hall following the Welcoming Feast. He hadn't had anything to eat and he was hungry. He decided he'd go down to the Dungeons for a quick snack. He found an unused room and ducked in there. He pulled a bottle of pigs blood out of his pocket and started drinking. The door opened slowly, and a shadowy figure crept in.

Severus Snape didn't know what Potter would want in the Dungeons, so he followed him. He was good at following people, but he didn't know what he was following, or that his presence had been detected long ago. He drew his wand and lit it, expecting to see his worst enemies' son doing some mischief. What he saw filled him with horror. He dropped his wand in fright and tried to back out of the room.

Harry threw the bottle down, smashing it, and leaped behind Snape. He had taken his ring off to scare the Potions Master, and it worked wonderfully. "It's not nice to follow people, Snape," Harry said coldly. "You might be confronted with your nightmare come alive." Harry grabbed Snape around the neck and hoisted him up the wall, the teacher's feet dangling off the floor. Snape was wimpering, and begging Harry not to eat him. "I'm not going to eat you, I'd be poisoned by all the grease. And besides, I swore I'd never harm another human being, unless it was a dire emergency. So, you're safe unless you hurt one of my friends. I will let you leave this room with every drop of your blood in your veins, but you're going to have to keep your big mouth shut about what you saw. Or I WILL kill you." He let Snape down, and the Potions Master ran from the room in terror.

Harry left the room later, and ran into Dumbledore. Harry sensed the fear Dumbledore was trying to bank down, and it nearly broke his heart. He knew the Headmaster still didn't trust him, but he was working on a way around that.

"I hope you didn't kill Professor Snape, or I will have to deal with you," Dumbledore said menacingly.

"I did not bite that grease-ball; if you don't believe me, check him. I will never hurt a person, unless it's absolutely necessary. Now, if you'll excuse me," Harry said calmly and brushed past a gaping Headmaster. He continued on to his dormitory, thinking about the two encounters in the Dungeons. He remembered the two men who were plotting near his house, and wondered how he was going to prevent their plots coming to fruition. He knew exactly who one of the men were, and vowed to himself he'd keep a close eye on him.

The next day, a man was walking up the drive toward the school. This man was a vampire expert, and had heard there was a vampire at Hogwarts. Once he reached the double doors into the Entrance Hall, he saw two men waiting for him. One man was obviously Dumbledore, and the second... _is that the vampire? He certainly looks like a nasty piece of work. Maybe a low-grade Romanian._

"Hello, I'm Heinrich Weisen. You called me about an undead problem? I know more than you might think about vampires." He approached Dumbledore and the unknown man beside him. "Is this the one? He looks like a low-grade Romanian. You don't need to worry about him overpowering anyone, except perhaps a first or second year student," Weisen, the vampire expert, said. Snape growled in rage. "Though he does sound rather mean," Weisen added. He didn't see a little boy coming down the steps.

"Severus is not a vampire, though he did have a close encounter with a problematic monster last night." Dumbledore's words ripped through Harry and nearly brought him to tears. He managed to hold them in, and, turning to leave, he stumbled on the stairs. The sound drew Weisen's attention. "Perhaps we should go to your office, Headmaster? I don't want to scare any students." Dumbledore looked and said, "That's not necessary, Heinrich. The vampire I told you about is this boy."

Harry stayed put, knowing Dumbledore had brought this man here to take a look at him. Since he didn't want to be a pain, he stood calmly. Weisen approached him carefully and took hold of his face.

"Ah, yes, I can see now. Now this is strange." He waved his wand over Harry's head and the results of the diagnostic were shocking. "This looks like a Black Forest, very strong, and not truly dead, at least in a philosophical sense. He still has a soul; this is very rare. You don't have to worry, he's not a monster. In fact, I'll bet he's the nicest vampire you'll ever see." Weisen ruffled Harry's hair and said, "He doesn't even look like a vampire."

"That's because that ring hides it. I don't want a panic," Dumbledore ground out. The aged Headmaster didn't want to think he'd been persecuting Harry for no reason.

"Ah, good. Well, if you need any advice on how to care for this young man, just let me know. I'd love a chance to come back and see how he's developing. This is the first time I've ever actually seen a living Black Forest. I also believe he might be viable, so some girl will one day be extremely lucky." Weisen left after that. He didn't see the look on Dumbledore's face. If he had, he wouldn't be walking down the drive chortling.

After Heinrich Weisen left, Dumbledore and Snape both started toward Harry. Knowing he was overmatched, Harry fled. He personally hoped the vampire expert would come back, if only to make sure he was still among the living. He ran to his dormitory to give Dumbledore a chance to cool down. He wasn't too afraid of Snape, but Dumbledore was another story. It was lucky classes were done for the day, because Harry didn't want any chance encounters with narrow-minded teachers.

The next several weeks passed quickly, and Harry did very well in his classes, though he wasn't sure about one of his teachers. Professor Lockhart wasn't a very good teacher, and he seemed to have a dark side, or at least a dirty little secret. Also, he was positive Ron's rat, Scabbers, was an animagus. He didn't know how he was going to turn the rat back into a human, or let the proper authorities know. Until he got an idea, of course. That's why he was going to Professor McGonagall's office between classes. He already had the rat in question in a cage, and Ron didn't seem to know it was missing. _Ron's paying more attention to Hermione than he is to his own pet. Lucky for me, and dare I say it, _un_lucky for Hermione._

"Excuse me, Professor? Can I ask you something?" Harry asked softly after knocking on his Head of House's door.

"Of course, Mr. Potter. What seems to be the problem?" McGonagall replied, putting aside the essays she was grading.

"I wanted to ask you about animagi. How do you tell an animagus from a normal animal?" Harry asked, still in a soft voice. He didn't want to wake Scabbers, because he still wasn't sure how to perform an Unbreakable Charm.

"Normally, a transformed animagus has some characteristics of the person. For example, eye color or hair color could transfer over. Why do you ask? We'll be covering this next year, you know." McGonagall was inwardly proud Harry had enough interest in her subject to seek her outside of class.

"Is there a way to force a transformed animagus to turn back?" Harry asked next.

"Of course there is. It's a spell that requires determination to perform. You have to be determined to overpower the wizard you're trying to turn back, because he will be fighting you." Now McGonagall was getting very interested. She didn't know why Harry was asking these particular questions.

"Well, I think I found an animagus, and I don't think he'll like being transformed back." Harry saw the look on his teacher's face, and was happy that she didn't seem to be dismissing his concerns out of hand.

"Take it out then, and I'll turn him back." She stood up, raised her wand, and locked the door. When the rat cage was brought out, she looked closely and stifled a gasp.

Scabbers was now awake, and could see that he was caught. He scurried around the cage, trying to avoid being picked up, but it no use. Harry glared at him so coldly that he had no choice but to stop. Harry grabbed the shivering rat and put him on McGonagall's desk. She waved her wand, said an incantation, and a blue light shot out of her wand. It connected with Scabbers, and the rat started to grow. He sprouted arms, legs; his head enlarged, and his tail vanished. Within moments, Harry and McGonagall were looking at a very-much-alive Peter Pettigrew.

"So nice of you to join us, Mr. Pettigrew. How was death? Oh wait, you _faked _your death." McGonagall now believed everything Sirius Black had told her those long years ago.

FLASHBACK

_It was early November of 1981, and Sirius Black was on his way to Azkaban Prison. Once he had arrived, he was given a chance to call three people for help. He chose Albus Dumbledore, Remus Lupin, and Minerva McGonagall. They came in, one by one, and listened to his story. Dumbledore listened, then laughed and left. Remus listened, and promised he'd give him the benefit of the doubt, but couldn't promise anything. McGonagall was last. She came in and let him tell his story. At the time, she didn't really believe they could all have been wrong about sweet little Peter, but since there had been no body, there was nothing she could do. She wasn't on the Wizengamot, and couldn't change Dumbledore's mind once he'd made it. But she did promise that any rat she came across, she'd check with the Animagus Revealing Spell. She kept her promise, but never found anything. Sirius went to prison without a trial, and McGonagall personally thought it wasn't purely Crouch's bias that did it._

END FLASHBACK

She promptly stunned Pettigrew, and said to Harry, "I've been looking for him for years, but I never had any luck. Where's he been hiding?"

"With the Weasleys. He was using the name 'Scabbers' and was Percy and Ron's pet," Harry replied. "Why did he hide for so long; was he hiding from someone or something?"

"Yes, he's been hiding from the law after he sold out your parents," McGonagall answered. She went to her fireplace and called Dumbledore and the Ministry. The Aurors came first, and Dumbledore deigned to answer her call some time later. That told her all she needed to know about why Sirius hadn't been granted a trial.

Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, had come with the Aurors. He said, "I will personally see to it that Sirius Black is released. He will have a full pardon, and while Dumbledore hasn't come yet, I feel safe in saying that I'm calling for a No Confidence vote in his abilities to lead the Wizengamot. I've never seen such a miscarriage of justice in my life; throwing someone to the Dementors with nary a thought."

The result of that was that the so-called mass murderer, Sirius Black, was exonerated. He was pardoned, had his belongings returned to him, and granted legal custody of Harry Potter. Unfortunately for Harry and Sirius, Dumbledore had destroyed the Potter's will upon Harry's "death" and there was no proof it had ever actually existed, the destruction was so thorough. The No-Confidence vote in Dumbledore went through without a hitch, and the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot became the _former _Chief Warlock of that prestigious body.

It was Halloween, and Harry was walking along the halls, deep in thought. He in fact had his eyes closed, and was traversing the castle from memory. That was, at least, until he walked through a cold patch of air.

"Mr. Potter, I would thank you to not walk right through me as though I wasn't there!" Nearly Headless Nick exclaimed scandalized.

"Sorry, Nick. No disrespect intended. I wasn't watching where I was going." Harry thought to himself, _That's the last time I walk around with my eyes closed._ "Hey, Nick, why are you looking so glum? Is there something wrong with the arrangements for your Deathday party?"

"How did you know that?" Nick was now very intrigued. This miniature vampire was extremely intuitive.

"It's not that hard. I looked in the history books to find what I could, and I discovered that you left the world of the living on Halloween. Upon asking older students and some teachers, I found out that you traditionally host a party to commemorate your death," Harry lied glibly. While Nick was blustering about how well-informed Harry was, neither saw Snape duck back around the corner with parchment and a quill.

"Well, it's gotten so monotonous that everyone I invited, even the Hogwarts ghosts, declined. So, I'm afraid there will be no party," Nick replied sadly.

"Now, we can't have that. I'll go to your party, and you can tell the Hogwarts ghosts that. Maybe even renew you invitations to other ghosts. I'll even try to convince Hermione and Ron to come, too." Harry was thinking on his feet how best to deal with the situation. He wasn't using Nick, he didn't want any favors, he just wanted to help a friend. _I'm not Dumbledore, to use people until the Dark Lord of the time comes calling._

"You'd really do that, for me?!" Nick was stunned. He thought vampires were evil creatures of the darkness, or at least that's what Dumbledore had told him, but this vampire defied all logic. This vampire even had mortal friends; friends, by all accounts, he hadn't fed on.

"Of course, you're my friend and I want to help you," Harry replied, then sniffed. There was something evil in the air. It wasn't Snape, the greaseball who'd been stalking him for no apparent reason. It was something far older, far more evil. This...thing... was as old as the castle itself. He politely ended his conversation with Nick and took his leave. It was this he'd been contemplating when he'd walked through Nick. He followed the smell along the wall, and found a spot near Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. He was sure of it, it was inside the walls... in the pipes.

That night, Harry managed to convince Hermione to accompany him to the party, but Ron proved to be a different matter. Ron Weasley had, after much thought (which only took all of two seconds), not to attend the party. So, Harry led Hermione down to the dungeons at the right time, and formally introduced her to Nick. "Sorry Nick, Ron couldn't make it. He said he had express orders from his mother not to attend any Deathday parties until he's organizing his own." Nick let them in with a mournful sigh, and an offer to help Ron organize his own party when the time comes.

"Harry, Ron never said any such thing," Hermione protested once they were out of earshot of their transparent host. Harry laughed, and said, "I know, but Nick doesn't, and neither does Ron. I can't wait to see the look on Ron's face when Nick comes forward with that offer." At that, Hermione laughed to. She agreed it would be a good prank. Harry suddenly swept her onto the dance floor, and said, "May I have this dance, m'lady?"

She giggled, before she replied, "Of course, m'lord. I would be honored." And they danced long into the evening, impressing all the other waltzing ghosts. When they left, they were still laughing happily. That was, of course, until they saw what hung on the torch bracket outside of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Harry's keen eyes picked out the spiders scurrying toward the window as fast as they could. _Spiders flee before the Basilisk... The crow of the rooster is fatal to it... "Harry, did you kill Hagrid's roosters?" Dumbledore believed me guilty, but vampires feed on blood, and we don't usually strangle our victims without feeding._ "Hermione, go ask Myrtle if she saw anything, I'll look for more clues here. Hermione obeyed. Soon after, Dumbledore arrived as students stopped to stare in terror at Mrs. Norris.

"So, Hagrid's roosters aren't enough for you, are they? You need to kill something, so you pick the caretaker's cat. You are a monster," Dumbledore accused.

"I did nothing. The cat was already hanging when we got here," Harry replied calmly.

"We? Potter, you are alone. Oh, my mistake, you're alone _physically, _but maybe the voices in your mind are enough company." Snape smirked at Dumbledore's jibe. Harry rolled his eyes and muttered something deprecating about Dumbledore and Snape's births. He said aloud, "Hermione and I were coming back from Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday party, when we saw this," he gestured at Mrs. Norris, "and I sent Hermione on ahead to find help. You must have missed her." Harry then thought to Hermione, _Hermione, stay in the bathroom. I told Dumbledore and Snape I sent you on ahead to find help. I'll draw them off, and then come get you. Just sit tight._

Hermione was so surprised to hear Harry's voice in her head that she didn't think to question him. She also knew he wouldn't leave her there. She just waited patiently. When he appeared in a shadow under a sink, she was surprised. "Come over here, Hermione. I drew them away, but I'm sure they'll be watching. I'll get us close enough to Gryffindor Tower that won't notice." She joined him under the sink, and found herself being pulled back further into the shadow by Harry. She was pulled into what looked like a vast, black, seemingly boundless room with what looked like little irregularly shaped windows to the outside world, through which she could see light streaming in from the "real" rooms beyond. She guessed correctly that these windows were the shadows. The void looked endless in every direction, and she realized to her surprise that Harry was moving through it effortlessly in three dimensions, guiding them both to their destination. When they came out of a broom closet a few minutes later, it was Harry's idea to mess up his hair and unbutton her blouse a bit, to throw off suspicion in case anyone saw them, but no one did.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: With Dumbledore ousted as Chief Warlock, and Sirius out of prison, things are looking up for Harry now, right

**Author's Note: **With Dumbledore ousted as Chief Warlock, and Sirius out of prison, things are looking up for Harry now, right? Not by a long shot. He's a preteen boy, starting to like girls, and with puberty just around the corner, he has to keep himself from losing his temper and puncturing someone.

**Chapter 4 Snake Infestation**

Weeks had passed since Harry turned in Pettigrew, and now it was Christmas break. Harry was alone again, but he didn't mind. He didn't want to be around people that much, because he didn't want to accused of setting Slytherin's monster loose. He knew the monster was loose, he could sense it in the walls. He could also hear it speaking parseltongue. That meant Slytherin's monster was a serpent, and he also deduced that the way to open the legendary Chamber of Secrets was by speaking parseltongue. _That's why Dumbledore never could find it, no matter how hard he looked. Personally, I'd be more afraid if he _did _manage to find it, _Harry thought.

As he was walking to the library to finish his homework, Harry ran into Dumbledore. He tried to walk past him, hopefully without a confrontation, but it was not to be. It seemed Dumbledore wanted to pick a fight. The Headmaster blocked the corridor and tried to look menacing. _I can do a better job than that, _Harry thought smugly, as he held his hands in front of him. He could easily slip the ring off and give Dumbledore the fright of his life.

"And where are you going, Potter?" Dumbledore asked suspiciously. "Are you looking for a new victim? Or do you perhaps want to set Slytherin's monster on me, maybe on your master's orders?" Dumbledore saw Harry stiffen, and thought he'd struck a nerve with that last remark. Harry clamped down on his emotions, not wanting to clue the Headmaster in yet.

"If I did want to set my pet loose on you, fool, would I tell you?" And Harry removed his ring. He glared at Dumbledore, turning his pain into anger. Dumbledore took one look at Harry, and left. He didn't run, probably because he didn't want to show fear. He didn't know he was shouting his terror from the proverbial rooftops. Harry continued on his way, and replaced his ring.

After thinking long and hard, Harry figured out that the way to find out where the Chamber was, was to ask a ghost. They were dead, so they learned secrets after death. Also, no one thought to ask them, and they wouldn't offer information without being asked. They were bound to keep silent unless made to speak. So, Harry sought out Nearly Headless Nick.

"Hey Nick, can I ask you something, please?" Harry asked the pearly-white figure in the ruff.

"Ask away, though I can't promise an answer," Nick replied. He was wary of this little vampire, but he gave Harry the benefit of the doubt because he knew him before he became a vampire.

"The last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, someone died. Can you tell me who?" Harry waited with his fingers crossed.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Nick answered. "Her name was Myrtle Whitman. She was a Hufflepuff third year."

"Moaning Myrtle?" Harry asked. If Moaning Myrtle was the last one to die, and she died in the same bathroom she haunts, the entrance must be in there.

"Yes. She was in the bathroom crying, I heard. When she was found dead, she never left the bathroom." Nick was getting uncomfortable saying so much about it, so Harry stopped asking. He thanked the Gryffindor House Ghost and ran off.

When he reached the second floor girls' bathroom, he made sure the coast was clear, and went in. He heard Myrtle crying before he saw her, and announced his presence. She came through the stall door and shouted, "Leave me alone! The last time a boy came in here, he threw something at me! Well, I won't let you do the same!" And she flew back into her toilet, splashing water everywhere.

"Myrtle, I just wanted to ask you how you died." Harry waited for her to respond. Finally, she did. She came back, looking radiant. She told him the entire story with great relish.

After the story, Harry went over to the tap where she saw the eyes. He looked it over carefully, before deciding to speak to it in parseltongue. Just as he'd thought, it worked. The sink descended to reveal a large hole and a filthy pipe. He jumped in, closely followed by Gilderoy Lockheart of all people. He didn't hear the bathroom door open, but he had sensed the interloper's presence. When they both shot out of the end of the pipe, they landed on animal bones. "Eurgh," Lockheart muttered in disgust.

"What the hell are you doing?" Harry demanded of the ineffectual teacher.

"Dumbledore asked me to keep an eye on you, said he suspected you were behind the attack on the caretaker's cat. I must say, it seems he was correct. Now, I'm taking you into custody," Lockheart said arrogantly.

"You fool! You never should have followed me," Harry yelled. It seemed Lockheart didn't like being called a fool, and drew his wand. He cast a Reductor Curse, which Harry easily dodged. But the curse caused a cave-in, and small bits of falling debris hit Lockheart on the head, knocking him out. The cave-in blocked the way out, and Harry decided to go on. Maybe there was another way through.

Harry spoke parseltongue at the door of the Chamber, and entered. When he got there, he saw Ginny Weasley holding a small black book. She was speaking in parseltongue, saying, "_Speak to me Slytherin, Greatest -._" Her voice sounded different, not her own. It sounded much more masculine and evil. It was too cold to be emanating from that mouth. The only answer, Ginny was being possessed by Voldemort.

"Ginny!" He tried calling to her, hoping to distract her while he got the book away from her. He knew the book was causing this. She spun around to face him before she could finish the call to Slytherin's monster. Her eyes were glowing red. He decided to try another tactic.

"VOLDEMORT! It's me you want; leave her body now and fight me like a man!" Harry bellowed. It worked, Tom Riddle's spirit left Ginny's body in answer to Harry's challenge.

"You want to fight me! Then we shall fight!" Riddle sneered. He took Ginny's wand from her unconscious body and kicked her aside. "Let's have a real hostage for you to fight for. You don't have any feelings for this blood traitor, do you?" And with a wave of the stolen wand, he summoned Albus Dumbledore down there. "But you do have some regard for the muggle-loving fool."

"Let him go," Harry snarled. He worked on keeping his emotions in check, because he didn't want to reveal to Voldemort the fact that he was a vampire. He wanted to save that for later.

"Don't you realize, boy, that the muggle-loving old fool loves muggles more than he loves you?" Riddle taunted. "Yes, he left you with muggles he loves, knowing they loved you just as little as he did."

Harry felt his chest tighten, but hid it well. He kept a tight lid on his emotions, intending to show Dumbledore the entirety of his well of despair later. He knew Voldemort was right, but he wasn't going to say it. He raised his wand and fired a spell at the wand in his tormentor's hand. The wand went flying away, and Riddle turned in fury to summon the Basilisk Harry had already figured resided here.

"_Speak to me Slytherin, Greatest of the Hogwarts Four!_" Riddle called out. Salazar Slytherin's stone mouth opened wide and a huge Basilisk slithered out. "_Destroy the boy._" Riddle ordered it. The giant snake went after Harry, chasing him into the pipes surrounding the Chamber. The great snake chased Harry back out into the open room, and Riddle decided to try something else. "_Stop. Leave the boy. Eat the man._" The Basilisk obeyed, and went after Dumbledore. Riddle thought Harry would abandon Dumbledore out of revenge. But he didn't know Harry that well.

Harry yelled in parseltongue, "_I will not let you harm him._" Then he shouted in English, "Leave him alone!" Suddenly, Fawkes the Phoenix appeared in a ball of fire. Dumbledore thought he was saved, but then he saw that Harry was gaining strength from the Phoenix song. Fawkes dropped the Sorting Hat to Harry, who immediately drew the Gryffindor Sword from it. He threw the sword straight at the Basilisk, and it drove itself through the roof of the snake's mouth.

The giant snake died, and Harry walked over to its dead body and withdrew the sword. He knew the book still had to go, so he went over to it, and stabbed it with the still-bloody sword. Ink started spraying everywhere as Riddle was destroyed in mid-lunge. He stabbed it several more times, to make sure, then went over to cut the ropes holding Dumbledore. After the fight, Harry was feeling emotionally drained.

"Headmaster, Ginny Weasley is over there and unconscious. Your pet, Lockheart, in unconscious past the cave-in he caused over in that direction. Fawkes can get you out easily, as he is a Phoenix. You can take the Sorting Hat back with you. I will find my own way out." Harry said all that in a flat monotone. Then he shrank into a shadow and vanished. He reappeared in the bathroom, and saw a bottle of tanning lotion under another sink. He winced when realization came to him.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: I know things seem to be happening very fast, but that is all because of Harry's enhanced abilities

**Author's Note: **I know things seem to be happening very fast, but that is all because of Harry's enhanced abilities. He can sense a lot of things because he's a vampire. Also, later in this chapter I imply that Dumbledore tried to give a student alcohol. This student is of-age (18 years old), and is actually repeating his seventh year at the time.

**Chapter 5 The Prisoner of Azkaban**

The rest of the school year passed uneventfully. Harry took his end-of-year exams, and was quite sure he aced all of them. Lockheart had been taken to St. Mungo's because the debris hitting him on the head had caused amnesia. Ginny seemed to have escaped possession unscathed, but Harry wouldn't bet on it. Even Dumbledore seemed to be keeping to himself mostly, though Harry could still sense mistrust from the Headmaster. Harry ended up freeing Dobby the house-elf from the Malfoys, and even that didn't ease Dumbledore's suspicion.

When Harry got off the train at Platform 9 ¾, the Dursleys were there waiting for him. He got in the car and they drove home. Harry wished he could live with his godfather, but that was impossible. When they arrived, Harry said, "My godfather will be stopping by regularly. I expect you to treat him civilly."

"You haven't got a godfather, boy," Vernon sneered. Dudley took that as his cue to try to pound Harry into a submissive pile of pulp. He advanced threateningly, but Harry just glared at him and Dudley immediately ground to a halt and started dripping with cold sweat.

"Yes, I do. In fact, his first visit should be next week." Harry took his trunk upstairs and unpacked. He could hear Vernon and Petunia talking downstairs, and guessed Vernon was asking if Harry really did have a godfather. This was confirmed when Vernon shouted, "I will not have another one in the house!"

A week later, Sirius came for his first visit. He looked much better than the last time Harry had seen him. He was clean-shaven, he'd gotten a haircut so now his black hair was above his shoulders, and his clothes weren't rags. "Harry, how are doing?" Sirius seemed determined to make up for lost time. "I'm doing fine. I wish I could live with you, but the puppet-master would take offense to that," Harry replied with a smile. They both went upstairs so they could really get to know each other.

"Sirius, I have something I need to tell you." Harry was nervous as to how Sirius would react. He didn't want to be abandoned.

"What is it, pup?" Sirius was imaging all the scenarios that could cause fear in a young boy, but what he got wasn't what he was expecting.

"You see, there was an accident in my first year. I had gotten detention for smuggling a dragon out of the castle-"

Sirius barked out a laugh at that. "You smuggled a dragon out of the school?! I'm impressed, your father and me couldn't smuggle one in, let alone outside. And we had full knowledge of the castle secret passage ways."

"My detention was in the forest. I had to go with Hagrid and find out what had been killing unicorns. It was Voldemort, trying to keep his current host alive long enough for him to get the Sorcerer's Stone, which would return him to full power. On my way back to the castle after discovering that, I was attacked. Because of that attack, I am now a vampire." Harry removed his ring so Sirius could see for himself. "I have never fed on a human, and never will, unless it's a dire emergency."

Sirius at first appeared shocked, and then he just looked Harry up and down, and said, "I ran away from home when I was sixteen because my family was too narrow-minded. I'd like to think I'm open-minded. This may not have been what I was expecting, but I trust you. You have too much of your parents in you to be evil. Now, why haven't you bitten Snape?"

"I don't want to be poisoned by all that grease he calls hair. And besides, as a mortal he's creepy enough to scare anyone. If I turned him, I'd have to protect the rest of the castle from him, while I was stopping Dumbledore driving a wooden stake into my chest for what I did to his lapdog." Harry said that with a long-suffering look that told Sirius he meant what he said.

"Don't worry about Dumbledore. I have a good friend who would be glad to set up a nasty little surprise for that old fool. I'll just say it involves a monster under the bed on the full moon," Sirius replied with a wicked smile. "Also, I have another friend who would give anything to meet you. His name is Heinrich Weisen, and he's a vampire expert."

"I've already met him, Dumbledore called him to the castle after I threatened Snape. He said I still have a soul, he said I'm probably viable, and he's under the impression that Dumbledore wants me alive. Also, he thought for a minute when he arrived that Snape was a vampire; called him a low-grade Romanian in front of Dumbledore, and survived." Sirius seemed pleased that Heinrich had already examined Harry, and he was thrilled about the jibe against Snape.

"He called Snivellous a vampire?! Hahaha! The score is now 4587-0 Marauders!" Sirius started rolling around on the floor laughing.

"So when will I meet your werewolf friend?" Harry asked curiously.

"I never said anything about Remus being a werewolf. How did you figure it out so quickly?" Sirius asked in response.

"You said your friend would be a monster under Dumbledore's bed on a full moon. A werewolf is the only person who turns into a monster on a specific day," Harry replied simply. "Really, I'm not as stupid as the Dursleys like to think I am. I'm definitely smarter than Dudley."

After several hours, Sirius left. He had promised to get in touch with his friend, Remus, and warn him about Harry's condition. The next several weeks passed, with the only bright points being Sirius' visits and tentative letters from Remus Lupin. Harry found out that Remus would be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, and that he'd be riding up on the Hogwarts Express. When Harry went to Diagon Alley to buy his school supplies, he found out that someone had escaped from the wizard prison, Azkaban. The escapee's name was Peter Pettigrew, notorious Death Eater responsible for the murders of over a dozen muggles and the betrayal of Aurors James and Lily Potter.

A day before Harry was supposed to go back to Hogwarts, Sirius asked him a question. "Hey, Harry, where'd you put your Hogsmeade permission slip? Technically, you're not allowed to visit the village without one, though we did do it plenty of times without permission."

"What do you mean, 'Hogsmeade permission slip'?" Harry asked, bewildered.

"Third years are allowed to visit the village of Hogsmeade on weekends if their parent or guardian signs the permission slip. The forms are delivered with the usual letter and list of supplies. Where did you put yours, unless you managed to get those Dursleys to sign it for you?" Sirius went on as though Harry was pretending to be dense.

"I didn't get anything like that with my letter; I would have saved it for you to sign if I had." Now Harry was starting to think who would possibly forget to send one of the standard forms to a third year vampire. "I get it now. Dumbledore's trying to keep me out of the village, doesn't want to risk letting me go to a veritable buffet. Funny thing is that he gives Death Eaters free reign over all those innocent people. I've heard some nasty rumors that Snape has been particularly rude to people."

"Does this rudeness extend to curses?" Sirius now seemed businesslike.

"I heard that last year someone refused to sell Marcus Flint some Firewhiskey. Snape came, hexed the barkeep, and got turned into a goat until Dumbledore showed up. Snape got turned back, but Flint didn't get the Firewhiskey he wanted," Harry replied, confused.

"Dumbledore can't do that, that's illegal. I'd better tell the Ministry about that," Sirius said angrily. "I'll also talk to some people to make sure you get that Hogsmeade form."

The next day, Harry got on the train and found a compartment with Hermione and Ron. They were talking about the escape of Peter Pettigrew and wondering where the rat went, how he escaped, and what Fudge was doing to find him. The spoke quietly because they didn't want to wake the man sleeping in the corner. When Ron mentioned Hogsmeade, Hermione started going on about the history of the place. They got wrapped up in their own conversation, not realizing they were leaving Harry out. Or rather, Hermione didn't realize; Ron knew what he was doing, because it was part of the plan he'd started the previous year. When it started getting cold, Harry became much more alert. He could sense a sort of emotional void some distance off; there was a whole where there should have been emotion. He didn't know what was happening, but he knew it was bad. He tried to alert Ron and Hermione, but they wouldn't listen. He decided to wake the man, but was afraid to.

Harry managed to conquer his fear of the man, and touched him on the shoulder. The man, who didn't look all that strong or healthy, sprang awake and pointed his wand at Harry's throat. "Don't touch me, creature," he growled. Harry guessed that this was Sirius' werewolf friend. To try to ward off the danger, Harry made his eyes widen with fear. Usually, a frightened child brought out parental feelings in adults; Harry hoped it worked for this adult. It did. His wide green eyes made Remus Lupin lower his wand.

"I think there's something nasty coming. I don't know what it is," Harry said softly.

"Oh damn. There're Dementors coming. They're searching the train for Pettigrew," Remus ground out. He raised his wand again, but this time it wasn't pointed at Harry. He aimed at the door and waited for the Dementors to reach this compartment. The first skeletal hand appeared, creeping around the door frame, and pushed it open. Remus shot gray mist at the thing, and Harry just stood there. The Dementor advanced on him, sensing easy prey. Then it stopped. It couldn't get anything from him. It sucked harder, and still got nothing. Remus looked at Harry in surprise, then remembered what the boy was, and looked away. The Dementor performed its dreaded Kiss on Harry, but the young vampire was unharmed. He got a good look at what was under the fiend's hood, and was thoroughly disgusted. He saw gray, rotted flesh, like the hands. The eyes were sockets with black pits, they were voids. And there were little worm-like things wiggling around beside the sockets. It's nose was crooked and long, almost like Snape's, though more rotted. Harry nearly wanted to vomit.

The Dementors left, taking the bone-chilling cold with them. Hermione and Ron were huddling in a corner, Ron looking like he wanted to pass out. Hermione looked very scared, like she had just relived her worst memory. Harry found himself wondering what her worst memory might be. Was it Ron missing the train before Second year? Was it his own death at the end of First? Was it something he didn't know, wasn't there for? The thought drove home to him that he would never have her, the only girl he could ever want. The only girl who had stood by him, even after his own death. He watched her turn to Ron, and it killed him inside the way a stake never would.

The train stopped, and they all got off. They went up to the castle in carriages drawn by Thestrals. He could see them because he was dead. He was able to see the last year too, but it wasn't a big deal. The huge, black, winged horse-like creatures were beautiful in their own way. Ron and Hermione were in their own little world, and Remus was staring at him with suspicion. They were sharing a carriage with the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher because Dumbledore had told him to stay with Harry. Harry knew that, but it didn't bother him that much. He'd had time to think things through, and he decided that the best way to keep Dumbledore from doing anything really wrong was to earn the loyalty of his pet teachers. All except Snape, of course. He didn't trust the greasy git as far as he could toss Hogwarts.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Harry is certainly a plucky boy, isn't he

**Author's Note: **Harry is certainly a plucky boy, isn't he? Daring the wrath of a werewolf to warn him of danger, offering himself to a Dementor to keep it from his friends. Now we'll see more Remus/Harry interaction. And a reminder, werewolves hate vampires, but vampires respect werewolves. And even I hate what I'm doing to Remus.

**Chapter 6: The Sum of all Fears**

It was the Thursday after arriving at Hogwarts, and Harry was pretending to eat breakfast. He could still feel the Dementors around the castle, could feel the emotional void they took with them wherever they went. He checked his schedule again before getting up, he'd had dinner the night before, so he wasn't hungry enough to even pretend to eat any more. "Ron, Hermione, are you coming? We've got Defense Against the Dark Arts now," Harry called to his friends. They didn't answer, so Harry shrugged and left.

When he arrived at the classroom, Harry chose a seat at the front. He put his bag down and waited patiently for everyone else to come in. He had an uneasy suspicion that the first lesson would be on vampires, but when Remus announced to the class what they'd be doing, Harry was relieved. They were going to be studying boggarts. They went to the staff room and Remus explained how best to deal with a boggart. When they were given time to think about what scared them most, Harry thought of the Dementors. Remus called them forward one at a time, and they all faced their fears. Finally, he called, "Harry!"

Harry stepped forward and the boggart turned into a Dementor, which advanced on him. He raised his wand and yelled, "_Riddikulus!_" The boggart/Dementor developed a wheezing, hacking cough. It fell down from the sudden asthma attack, and the next student stepped forward. Harry was surprised to see that Pansy Parkinson's boggart was Dracula. It advanced on her, clearly intent on seducing her before eating her. She fainted and Harry conjured a wooden stake and threw it. The boggart turned to dust, leaving the whole class speechless. Remus finally stammered, "Well, that's how you deal with boggarts and vampires. Good work, Harry, an extra five points to Gryffindor." The class filed out, talking excitedly about the lesson and the teacher.

Later that day, Remus waylaid Harry coming out of the bathroom. "Harry, I know what you are. Sirius told me. I must say, I never thought I'd see one of your kind defending a human." Harry quickly covered up the hurt that would have showed on his face, and replied, "One of my kind. I knew you'd be like this. You don't trust me, and you believe I'm evil. I'll bet you think I've bitten everyone in the castle by now, maybe turned some people into vampires like me."

"Well, that wouldn't be impossible, would it? I know vampires need blood to sustain themselves, and this _is _a castle full of people. I don't know why Dumbledore lets you stay in this buffet," Remus replied coldly. The hate in his voice sent Harry back a step, it was almost tangible.

"I know you're reporting to him. You can go right ahead, and tell him if I wanted to eat him, he'd be looking like a raisin by now." Then Harry ran off, after confronting his godfather's friend. He knew Remus was following him, he had known it the moment the Professor had taken a step.

Remus followed Harry to stop him attacking anyone in his rage. He didn't know that Harry wasn't in a rage, but was in pain instead. He watched him run into the forest, and stopped pursuing him. He went to go find Dumbledore, to tell him of Harry's reaction. He found him in his office, eating lemon drops. "Headmaster, I confronted Harry about his... condition... and he ran into the forest." Dumbledore nodded, and replied, "I will warn Hagrid to be doubly vigilant. I don't want him hurting anyone." Remus turned to leave, but when he reached the door he turned back. "Headmaster, he knows what I'm doing. He knows I'm reporting to you, and he gave me a message for you. He said if he wanted to eat you, then you'd look like a raisin by now." Remus left, not knowing why his heart felt heavy.

Harry stayed in the forest for several hours. It was past nightfall when he returned to the castle. When he returned to the Common Room, Hermione glanced at him for a second and was at his side the next. "Harry, what happened? You look like your dog died," she asked anxiously.

"Professor Lupin confronted me about my... death... and said he doesn't know why Dumbledore is letting an evil creature like me stay in a castle full of people," Harry answered in a monotone. He sounded miserable, and Hermione felt a flash of anger against her Professor for doing this to Harry. She didn't know Harry could feel other peoples' emotions, or she'd be even angrier. Even so, she still decided to pay her teacher a little visit and tell him just what she thought of him for doing that.

She arrived at Remus' office, and knocked politely, even though she didn't feel like being polite inside. "Come in," he called. She opened the door and entered. "Ah, Miss Granger, how can I help you?" She took a deep breath and said, "You can help me by apologizing to Harry for what you said to him. I thought Dumbledore was cruel for openly mistrusting him, but you take the cake."

"I take it you know what he is?" Remus replied, trying to regain his composure.

"Of course I know! He's a human being, even though he has a little problem. He still has feelings, even though he has no soul. And you, you ripped those feelings out and stomped on them. He may be dead, but he's still my friend." She said the last few words slowly and very clearly, intending to use them to get her point across.

"He's a bloodthirsty vampire who will eat you if he gets half a chance. In fact, I'm surprised he hasn't done so already." Then Dumbledore appeared behind Hermione. She hadn't heard the door open, but she definitely heard him speak.

"I trust there's no problem, Remus." Dumbledore looked Hermione up and down, and she saw his eyes linger on her neck. She knew he was checking for a bite. "There's no problem, Headmaster. Miss Granger was just leaving." Hermione scowled and ground out, "I'm sure Voldemort sends his congratulations. You're destroying Harry for him. And I'm sure he'd welcome you both with open arms if you made your allegiance to him official by taking his Mark, if you don't already have it." And she stormed out of the room.

The weeks passed. Remus kept watch on Harry, making sure he didn't bite anyone, and he still reported to Dumbledore. Harry's mood deteriorated rapidly, as McGonagall watched in silent horror. Of the very few teachers who knew what Harry was, McGonagall alone trusted him. And she also had a suspicion that there was more to Harry then he let on...

The day before Halloween, McGonagall was in the library reading up on vampires. She found a book called _The Power of the Vampire, _by Heinrich Weisen. She had heard what breed Harry was, a Black Forest, so she looked that up in the book. When she found the chapter on the Black Forest vampires, she read it through several times to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. They weren't. One excerpt that turned on the light bulb for her was this:

_The Black Forest vampire is very rare, and very territorial. The mainly live in the Black forest of Germany and Bavaria, and rarely venture out. The Black Forest vampire is characterized by its height, weight, and the length of its claws and fangs. The average height may be between 5'55'' (1.68 meters) and 6'3'' (1.9 meters). The weight is all muscle, and they always have broad shoulders and a lean frame. They are faster than other breeds, and have much finer reflexes, and are more intelligent. Their senses of smell and hearing are about 12 times that of humans, and the Black forest vampires tend to have extraordinary gifts, such as Empathy (which while the rarest, can be dangerous). A sign that a Black Forest is empathic is a deteriorating mood, especially around humans who distrust them. They will seek solitude frequently, as they believe, sometimes correctly, that steadfast friends are secretly expecting to be attacked. Other gifts include increased mental powers (Legilimency and Occlumency), traveling by shadow, multiple animagus forms, traveling in the form of mist or fog, and apparating in a puff of black smoke (this is sometimes called "poofing"). All of these other gifts are very common, and another rare gift is the ability to become part of someone else's dream._

McGonagall was horrified. She was now sure that Harry was Empathic, which meant all of Dumbledore's, Remus', and Snape's distrust and were killing him inside. She decided that she was going to make more of an effort to comfort Harry. She left the library in a hurry, to try to find her dead student. She finally saw him from a window, heading to the forest. _They will frequently seek solitude... _kept running through her mind as she hurried after him. She entered the Forbidden Forest cautiously. She guessed he'd hide up a tree, and started scanning the treetops. She finally saw a dark shape huddled on a branch ahead of her. She called out to him, announcing her presence. "Harry... please come down, I want to talk to you."

He answered in a monotone, "Why are you here? Aren't you afraid I'll eat you? Aren't you worried about me turning you?"

"I'm not afraid of you, Harry. I trust you, and I know you're an Empath. You know I trust you," she answered softly. And she was right. He could read her emotions, and he found no fear or distrust. He jumped down from the branch and replied in a voice filled with misery, "Could you keep this secret from Dumbledore. I plan on showing him how wrong he is at the end of my Seventh Year, if he hasn't staked me by then."

"Of course I won't tell him. Now come on, I'll take you back to the castle and I'll Floo Sirius. I'm sure he can set Remus straight." They returned to the castle, and along the way McGonagall asked, "I'm just curious, doesn't the sun hurt you? I thought vampires couldn't stand sunlight." Harry, surprised and somehow comforted by the question, admitted, "It stings a little bit, but not much. You're right that sunlight kills us, but I think it's because usually vampires have no soul. I, however, do have one, somehow."

They went to McGonagall's office, where she Flooed Sirius. Sirius stepped through, looking furious. "What has he been _doing_?! I trusted him to look after Harry and be his friend, and he betrayed us! Where is that dirty, rotten turncoat?"

"He's with Dumbledore," Harry replied. "They're in Dumbledore's office."

"Then that's where I'm going. And thank you for calling, Minerva." Sirius swept out of the room, his Auror robes billowing. He hurried to Dumbledore's office, fuming, and stormed in ready to start screaming. "Remus, you _traitor_! How could you jump into Dumbledore's pocket?! And you Dumbledore! What in Merlin's name are you playing at?!" Sirius faced the two men, and forced them both back a few steps. They both sat down, as Dumbledore snapped, "Do you know what that... boy... _is_? Do you know he's bloodthirsty? Do you know-" Sirius stopped him there with another tirade.

"YOU GODDAMN DEATH EATER! YOU SHUT YOUR TRAITOROUS MOUTH _NOW_! DUMBLEDORE, IF YOU DIED RIGHT NOW, SATAN WOULD KICK YOU OUT OF HELL FOR TRYING TO TAKE OVER FOR HIM! AND REMUS, HOW COULD YOU BE SO DISCRIMINATING?! HE'S JUST A _KID_, FOR MERLIN'S SAKE! YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN A BETTER SON TO MY MOTHER THAN REGULUS!" Sirius ran out of breath after that rant, and waited for their reactions. Remus looked shell-shocked, while Dumbledore looked livid. His face was contorted grotesquely and the twinkle was gone from his eyes. It was the second time he'd been called a Death Eater, but it was the first time he'd been accused of trying to replace the Devil.

"Get out," Dumbledore snarled. "You are no longer welcome in my castle."

Sirius left, and ran into Snape. "Snivellous, if you lay a finger on Harry, I'll kill you where you stand. And tell Dumbledore and my old _friend _Lupin, the same goes for them." And he swept past Snape, muttering imprecations, and returned to McGonagall's office. Once there, he told her that a certain demon-birthed Headmaster had conveniently forgotten to issue Harry a permission slip for Hogsmeade. McGonagall looked angry and immediately pulled one out and handed it to Sirius. Sirius promptly signed it and handed it back. "I'll file this with the Governors. Dumbledore would have to overthrow the Ministry to get it, but then he'd be declared a traitor and be barred from the Ministry building."

"There you go, Harry. You can go to Hogsmeade with everyone else, tomorrow," Sirius said happily.

The next day, the students were getting in line to go to Hogsmeade. Harry joined the line and trooped out with the rest. When he got to the village, he looked for a good shop to visit first. He decided to visit Honeydukes first. He saw Ron and Hermione there looking at a display of weird candies. "Look at the Blood Pops, Hermione. I reckon they're for vampires."

"Honestly, don't you two read? Vampires can't eat people food, they eat people," Harry snorted.

Hermione jumped when she heard his voice. "Harry, I thought you didn't have permission. You should head back to the castle before you're caught." Harry started shaking his head slowly, trying to control chuckles. "I got permission. Dumbledore somehow forgot I was in Third Year and didn't send me a form, but Sirius brought it up with McGonagall and she coughed up a form. Sirius signed it yesterday." Ron whooped and ran down the street, calling for Harry to follow him. "Hermione, you'd better be careful. Dumbledore probably thinks you're like me and will try to do you in. And he's mad enough to do some damage. I don't fancy my chances of staying as alive as I am if he finds out he can't bar someone from the castle, and he can't kick me out," Harry muttered to Hermione under his breath. And he walked away to find Ron, leaving Hermione calling after him, "What do you mean..."

That evening, they returned to the castle for the Halloween Feast. Ron couldn't wait, he said he was starving. Harry rolled his eyes and muttered, "You're gonna eat the rest of us out of house and home." Hermione chuckled as Ron complained loudly that they don't have enough big Feasts at the castle. Harry whispered to Hermione, "I think that's why the Weasleys are so poor, it's not that Arthur doesn't make enough to feed them all, it's because he doesn't make enough to feed all the starving children in the wizarding world." Hermione agreed.

"What food is Mr. Weasley hungry for? Your food or our food?" Dumbledore stepped out of a shadow behind them, causing Hermione to jump, but not startling Harry. "You don't really think I'd eat my friends, do you? Isn't that what _you _do? Oh wait, you don't _eat _your friends, you _betray _them." Harry was scowling and giving Dumbledore such a dark look, the aged Headmaster stepped back a bit. Harry and Hermione continued into the Great Hall, Dumbledore muttering about a certain black-haired, green-eyed student's parentage. Harry spun around, he'd heard every word. "That's it! You can insult me all you want, and you haven't insulted my friends, for which I'm grateful, but you DO NOT INSULT MY _PARENTS_!" Harry's voice thundered throughout the Great Hall. Every person in the Hall gasped and stared at Dumbledore in shock.

"Get. Out. Of. My. Castle. This. Instant." Dumbledore ground out through gritted teeth. Then he looked expectantly at Harry, as though expecting him to be ejected from the castle forthwith. Nothing happened, except the Hall going completely silent. Nothing stirred, except a rat. No one saw the rat scurrying out of the Great Hall.

"You'll have to try better than that, Headmaster," Harry sneered. He grinned wickedly, and if one looked close enough, his fangs would be barely visible extending slightly past the edge of his lower lip.

"As the Heir of Gryffindor, I demand that you leave my castle," Dumbledore snarled.

"How about a history lesson, Dumbledore?" Harry mocked. "Eight hundred years ago, the Heir of Gryffindor was a girl. She married a man named Charlus Potter, thereby joining the Houses Gryffindor and Potter. As far as I have been able to figure, no Potter or Gryffindor has ever married a Dumbledore. And don't bother asking Binns to confirm or deny this, I doubt he's ever taught about anything except the goblin wars since he died, which could have been during the goblin wars." Then Harry stormed out of the Hall without even pretending to eat.

That night, after everyone had gone to bed, there was a slight rustling sound. Harry heard it, even asleep as he was, and waited for it to repeat. It was his bed hangings rustling as someone opened them. He lay there with his eyes open and just turned his head when the intruder looked down at him. "Big mistake, Pettigrew." Harry moved fast, but Pettigrew was close to the open window. Harry dodged a curse and watched as Pettigrew was already going out the window. Harry dashed over and looked out, just in time to see his parents' betrayer turn into a bat. He could see a dark figure on the ground with a wand guiding the bat. He turned back to his room, and saw that everyone else was still sound asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

**Disclaimer: I** do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I never would have written the end like that.

**Author's Note:** Don't worry, Remus will see the error of his ways soon. If not in this chapter, then the next. Dumbledore's going to take some time.

**Chapter 7 Christmas and Beyond**

The day after Halloween, Harry told McGonagall about Pettigrew being in his dormitory the previous night. She was surprised that he'd gotten in so easily, and very concerned that someone within the castle might be helping him. "It sounds like there's a leak, and I don't know who it could be. Hell, Dumbledore could be a suspect," she said.

"It wasn't Dumbledore. I know who it was, but only because my hearing and night-vision are more acute," Harry replied calmly.

"Well then, who was it?" McGonagall asked, ready to take the information to the Ministry.

"I'll tell you, but you can't tell Fudge or the Aurors yet. I need to stop him myself, as part of my plan. No one but you, Hermione, and Sirius will trust me otherwise." Harry was still keeping watch on the corridor outside, listening for eavesdroppers. He sensed Remus approaching, and the hate he felt nearly sent him to his knees.

"I promise," McGonagall replied. She had seen Harry's reaction, and guessed someone was coming.

"Professor Snape isn't teaching anyone but the Slytherins anything, and he's teaching them how to cheat and sabotage others' work!" Harry complained suddenly. He had heard Remus' footsteps stop outside the door, and tried to tell McGonagall who the spy was in code. It worked.

"I'll look into it, Potter, but I can't promise anything. He's been teaching here as long as you've been alive, and the Headmaster trusts him," she replied, also in code. Harry left, not looking at Remus.

Remus walked in and asked, "What did he want?"

"He was just filing a complaint against Snape. Truthfully, that's not the only thing I've heard against Snape, but Harry was the only one brave enough to come right out and say it," she replied, businesslike. She didn't look at Remus, fearing she'd get the urge to hex him into the next century for his treatment of James and Lily's only son.

"Severus is an alright sort," Remus replied. That was the last straw. McGonagall faintly heard Harry cry out in pain, and a thud before exploding. "That is not true! Severus Snape is a dirty, rotten Death Eater! And you had better open your eyes soon, or I'll set Sirius on you! Believe you me, I'm going to be racing him for the privilege of hexing you first! You know what, I might just start now," she screamed. She drew her wand and cast the Empathy Curse before Remus could even draw his wand. The Empathy Curse is a fairly Dark spell, used to make the victim feel the pain of their own last victim. Remus didn't know it was Harry's pain he was feeling, and he was screaming like McGonagall had cast the Cruciatus Curse on him. Dumbledore ran in, thinking she'd done just that. She trained her wand on him, but he disarmed her before she could cast the spell. "Black called me a Death Eater, when it's actually you. The Ministry would love to have you," Dumbledore said gleefully.

"Go to hell, old man. Oh wait, Satan doesn't want competition," McGonagall ground out. Dumbledore used his power as Headmaster of Hogwarts to arrest teachers who put the school in danger. Within an hour, she was locked in a Ministry holding cell, awaiting the next launch to the island fortress of Azkaban. The guard walked past the cell, and gasped when he saw who was inside.

"Professor McGonagall! What are you doing here? Hold on one moment, I'll have you out in a jiffy." the guard started searching his keys, looking for the right on to unlock the cell door.

"Wait. Please tell Minister Fudge I'm here, and that I'd like to speak to him," she asked calmly, though she was roiling inside. _How _dare _that man accuse me of being a Death Eater, when it was he who hires them regularly?!_ The guard, whose eyes had widened upon hearing her request, had gone to get Fudge. He returned a moment later, with Fudge in tow, and panting.

"Let me guess, it was Dumbledore who locked you in here. Guard, open the door. She's no more a Death Eater than my grandmother," Fudge stated, not very surprised. When the door opened she stepped out and said, "Thank you Minister. Yes, it was Dumbledore. Now I need to get back to Hogwarts and check on my student. The damn Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher seems obsessed with criticizing him."

She left the Ministry, and returned to Hogwarts, only to find Harry missing. She checked the forest, where he sought solitude when it all became too much. Sure enough, he was up a tree, but this time Hagrid was there. The huge half-giant was threatening Harry, and the young vampire was looking angry and deeply hurt. Harry lashed out with his claws, trying to drive Hagrid away. He bared his fangs, but did not pounce; he was trying to instill fear in his tormentor, but all it did was get Hagrid to aim his crossbow and prepare to fire.

"Hagrid, don't you dare fire that crossbow! Put it down, now!" McGonagall screeched, enraged. Hagrid just glared at her and said, "Get away from here, he's put a spell of some kind on you. He's got you thinking he's not an evil creature, but he is. Dumbledore said so." Hagrid almost glowed when he spoke of Dumbledore, but Harry flinched. It seemed to McGonagall that if someone mentioned a name in front of Harry, he'd feel that person's emotions. He had just got a blast from Dumbledore. "Harry, go now. I'll take care of this," McGonagall said softly. Harry obeyed, and, jumping down, ran deeper into the forest. "Hagrid, I will be informing the School Governors that you were threatening a student, and actually raised a weapon on him. I have no choice, and you are not the only teacher getting reported."

"You can't do that!" Hagrid yelled, outraged.

"Yes, I can, as Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts. No teacher, not even the Headmaster, can threaten the life of a student." She turned on her heel, and stalked out of the forest. She returned to her office, knowing Fudge was haranguing Dumbledore. She drafted a report to the School Governors, informing them of all the teachers who had turned militant against one student.

_To whom it may concern:_

_The following teachers have been abusing a student. The Third Year in question has had his life threatened, and he has suffered mental abuse and extreme discrimination. The teachers responsible for this are:_

_Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Remus Lupin_

_Care of Magical Creatures Professor, Rubeus Hagrid_

_Potions Master, Severus Snape_

_I am filing complaints about all of these teachers. I request that someone see to a suitable punishment, perhaps jail time._

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Over the seven weeks, owls flew between the Ministry and Hogwarts almost daily. McGonagall's letter to the governors had sparked intense investigations into the teachers she had mentioned. They had asked her about what kinds of torments the unnamed student had faced, and they were very alarmed that Hagrid had threatened a child with a loaded crossbow. In fact, they had taken Hagrid in for questioning, and had confiscated his crossbow. Dumbledore spent the time trying to placate the Ministry, but his earlier record of having been removed from the Wizengamot after a No-Confidence vote made him look worse. Lupin was already damned because he was a werewolf. The governors had got it into their heads that the unnamed student might be in danger of being bitten by his teacher on purpose. Snape, of course, was seen as a Death Eater who had perhaps marked a child for death.

When Sirius heard, which was almost immediately, he went to Hogwarts. He tried to talk to Remus again, but ended up berating him for diving head first into Dumbledore's pocket. When Dumbledore walked into Remus' office and saw Sirius, he snapped, "I thought I told you to get out of my castle months ago."

"I thought I told you, months ago, to leave Harry alone. Remus, I'm almost ashamed that you're a Marauder. Dumbledore, you are going too far, you're pushing him too hard." Sirius glared at them one last time and left the room.

It was Christmas the next day. Harry woke early that morning, not expecting gifts, and saw the sun leaking around the curtains. He smiled, knowing it was a beautiful day. He looked around and saw the other boys stirring. "Hey Harry, Merry Christmas!" Ron yawned, and then grinned. "Wow thanks! A Chudley Cannons hat!" He put on the orange hat, and Harry chuckled as his friend's hair turned a matching shade of orange. Harry opened a lumpy package he thought might have been a Weasley sweater sent by Molly, but it was actually a string of garlic cloves.

"Who the hell sent you _that, _Harry?" Ron was eying the garlic suspiciously. "Was it Fred and Goerge, trying to pull a prank on you?"

"It was Dumbledore. There's a note from him, laughing." Harry handed the note to Ron, as Seamus said, "I heard that Dumbledore's calling you a vampire." Ron laughed and said, "Not likely. But anyway, Harry, prove you're not one." Harry went over to the window and said, "It's going to be cold when I open this," before throwing the window open. He stood in direct sunlight and continued, "Well, I don't think I'm bursting into flames." After that, all the boys were muttering imprecations about Dumbledore and his parentage.

Harry continued opening presents, until he found a long, thin package from Sirius. He tore it open, and exclaimed, "Wow! Look what Sirius got me!" All the boys crowded around, exclaiming about the brand new Firebolt sitting on Harry's bed. "Wow, Harry! Now you don't have to fly a school broom for Quidditch next month." Harry's old Nimbus Two Thousand had been sabotaged two weeks previous when someone snuck into the boys' dormitory and destroyed it out of jealousy.

Hermione came in, carrying an armload of gifts for Harry and Ron. She tossed Harry a box and sat down next to Ron. Harry opened the box, and muttered, "Harity har har, Hermione. Blood pops. Do I have stand in the sunlight and freeze my backside off again to prove I'm not undead?" Harry asked jokingly.

Hermione laughed at Harry's joke, then saw the garlic. "Who sent you garlic, Harry?"

"Who else, but Dumbledore. It must be his idea of a joke." Harry waved his wand and opened the window again, before tossing the garlic out. A second later, they all heard a bunch of curses being shouted. They ran to the window and looked down, only to find Snape standing on the ground far below, wearing the string of garlic and jumping up and down. He was shouting up a storm. They looked up and saw the Weasley twins standing at their window. "Who's that down there, shouting? Can you see?" The twins were straining to see, until Harry called up an answer. "It's Snape. Someone had good aim with a string of garlic. It went around his neck like a necklace." The twins vanished, but they could still here them laughing loudly.

"Hey, Harry, where's that note Dumbledore sent with the garlic? I wonder if you can toss that down and frame him for it," Ron said.

"You like framing people, don't you, Ron?" Harry chuckled and folded the note into a paper airplane before setting it spiraling down to the ground. They saw Snape pick it up, then crumple it up, and laughed. "Good idea, Ron. That was brilliant," Hermione said. She kissed him on the cheek while Harry looked away.

In the weeks preceding the Quidditch match, the deep friendship between Dumbledore and Snape soured. Snape took every opportunity to accuse Dumbledore of pranking him with garlic, then laughing at him. Dumbledore denied the accusation vociferously. In the end, he tried to make amends by formulating a plan that would force Harry out in the open. He wanted to prove Harry was evil by backing him into a corner.

The night before the match, Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, Harry had the strangest dream. It was a vivid dream of there being Dementors at the match. A handful of the creatures were on the pitch, staring up at him. When the next day dawned, Harry went down to the Common Room. He saw a Sixth year finishing up an essay, and wandered over. "Excuse me, you're in Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts, right?" The Sixth year looked up at the Third year and said, "Yeah. Why?"

"You know how to fight Dementors, right?" Harry asked, trying to look innocent.

"Yeah. It's called the Patronus Charm. It's really hard to use, but you need a really happy memory and to say the incantation, which is _'Expecto Patronum_'," the sixth year said. "Even grown wizards usually can't cast it." The boy went back to his essay and Harry went down to breakfast. When he got there, he saw Remus. The Defense teacher glared at him and went back to talking to Dumbledore. Harry had been getting waves of emotions, all of them negative and focused at him, by the time he went down to the pitch. Wood was telling the team their strategy while Harry was trying to block out the emotions of certain teachers.

The match started, with Lee Jordan yelling out the players' names. The bludgers were released, followed by the snitch and quaffle. Ravenclaw immediately started by taking the quaffle and trying to put it in Gryffindor's hoops. The Weasley twins sent both bludgers at the Chaser, while Harry sped by and knocked the quaffle from Goldstein's hands. "Wow, look at that! Potter's slipstream knocked the quaffle from Goldstein! That's what happens when you fly a Firebolt!" Lee Jordan was having the time of his life praising Harry's new broom, until McGonagall stopped him and made him focus on the match.

"Gryffindor scores! Katie Bell of Gryffindor was flying beneath Goldstein and caught the quaffle when he dropped it! That's ten-nil Gryffindor!" Harry swooped around, looking for the snitch, when he sensed the emotional void. He heard his parents screaming in his ears, and plunged his hand into his pocket to find his wand. _It's a good thing I brought this today, _he thought.

He focused on the memory of Sirius not abandoning him upon the revelation that his godson was dead. That was the happiest memory he had, besides McGonagall's trust of him. He screamed, "_Expecto Patronum_!" and watched as a gigantic silver stag burst out of the end of his wand. It scattered the five Dementors that had been on the pitch, just like in his dream, and then the stag careened into the teacher's stands. It kicked Dumbledore in the head, charged at Remus with its antlers lowered, and then flew up to kick Snape. It went back to Remus and glared at him before it vanished. Harry then proceeded to catch the snitch, which was just above him. Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw Seeker, had been hovering and staring at the spot where Harry's Patronus had vanished. Harry flew down with the snitch clutched tightly in his fist while McGonagall ran over to him.

"How did you do that? That was amazing, Harry!" she exclaimed.

"I'm not sure. All I did was ask a Sixth year how to fight Dementors because I had a dream last night that there would be some here. But he said it was really hard for even fully qualified wizards to cast that spell. And I'm surprised I was even able to hold onto a happy enough memory long enough to cast it," Harry said quietly. McGonagall awarded Gryffindor fifteen points for Harry's skill in chasing away the Dementors with such an advanced spell.


	8. Chapter 8

In the Moonlight

**In the Moonlight**

Time seemed to fly by. Spring came, bringing with it warmer weather and nocturnal activities. The teachers probably guessed what would happen when students weren't in danger of getting frostbite in the halls during the night, but they didn't step up patrols. Or at least, they didn't look for miscreants performing other kinds of activities. A few teachers were on the look-out for a single student. That single student was usually in his bed dreaming of a simpler life. A pretty girl on his arm, no worries other than end-of-year exams (which were coming fast), and natural things like a heartbeat. But he didn't have either of those things, not even the heartbeat. He couldn't have the girl of his dreams, there were things besides tests to worry about, but he was persevering. On this warm night, Harry Potter was in his bed, dreaming. However, that was not to last long...

Harry woke in the middle of the night after a particularly vivid dream. He had dreamed that Hagrid's pet hippogriff was sentenced to die for attacking Draco Malfoy, though the attack had failed. He dreamed that the night Buckbeak was put to death there was a werewolf loose on the grounds. The dream was so vivid, and it brought back memories of that Care of Magical Creatures class when Malfoy thought it was funny to insult a proud hippogriff.

_FLASHBACK_

_It was the day after Defense Against the Dark Arts. The class was still talking about the boggart Lupin had showed them. They were talking excitedly about the way Neville had dealt with his greatest fear. On the way down to Hagrid's hut, Ron was saying, "What do you suppose Hagrid will show us?"_

"_Considering it's Hagrid, it'll probably be dangerous. Though I heard Fred and George talking about hippogriffs. Maybe we'll get to see them," Harry replied with an easy grin. The day was beautiful, and harry had fed the previous night, so he was in a good mood._

_When they got to class, Hagrid was indeed standing in front of four hippogriffs with shiny feathers. Hagrid explained quite clearly that hippogriffs were proud creatures and that to insult one was likely to be fatal. Harry looked around, sensing unfocused minds around him. He pinpointed the location, and Draco Malfoy, along with Crabbe and Goyle positively reeked of it. He watched as Malfoy sauntered forward and said to Buckbeak, the silver-gray hippogriff, "You're not dangerous, are you? Are you, you great ugly brute?" At those words, Buckbeak reared back on his hind legs, ready to slash at Malfoy. Harry leaped forward, faster than a normal human, and knocked Malfoy back._

"_Get back," Harry snapped to Malfoy. The blond boy scrambled to his feet and ran back to the fence, a grass stain clearly visible on his once-pristine white shirt. Harry turned back to the angry hippogriff he was holding at bay. "Down boy, down. Calm down, Buckbeak." Hagrid arrived soon after, at first too surprised to act. He restrained Buckbeak, while Harry walked back to his friends, his shirt ripped and a bloody gash on his arm._

"_Harry, Harry, are you alright?" Hermione seemed very worried. "Yeah, mate, you're bleeding. Are you okay?" Ron chimed in with._

"_Yeah, I'll be fine. I don't even feel it, so it's just a graze." Harry gazed down at his arm, surprised that he was hurt. "Well, alright, if you're sure," Ron said dubiously. He walked on, muttering about macho boys who don't notice when their arm has been ripped open. Hermione stayed back and said, "Are you sure you'll be okay, Harry?"_

"_I just said that for Ron's benefit. The truth is, pigs' blood won't fix this..." Harry trailed off. Hermione looked uncertain for a split second, then nodded. "I'll donate some," she said. _

_END FLASHBACK_

And she did, that night, Harry remembered. He got up to look out the window, and saw the moon. It was shining brightly on the grounds. _It'll be full this weekend, _Harry thought. _It'll happen this weekend. _Harry sighed, remembering how smug Malfoy had looked in class the next Monday. Malfoy had just gotten a letter from his father telling him he'd prosecute Hagrid for setting a dangerous beast on unsuspecting children. That had started the whole thing.

When the weekend arrived, Harry started preparing. He read all the books on vampires he and Hermione could find. They told Madame Pince it was for an extra-credit assignment, and she believed them. Harry discovered that Back Forest vampires could grow wings, so he was anxious to try it out. He hadn't told Hermione yet; he was afraid she wouldn't react well. It was nearly nightfall when Harry, Hermione, and Ron set out for Hagrid's hut. They walked quickly and quietly under the Invisibility Cloak. Harry had warned Ron about the full moon that night. Ron had caught on after a couple of minutes.

When they got to Hagrid's hut, they saw that they were too late. The executioner was already there. Ron groaned, and Hermione shushed him. Harry was thinking. "If we wait until they see Buckbeak tied up, then cut him loose when they weren't looking, we could probably stop this," he whispered. Hermione and Ron nodded in response. They waited until they saw Fudge look out the window; then things started going slightly wrong. Fudge saw them. His eyes widened, but then he winked. He turned away, but kept his back to the window.

Harry ran forward, and bowed to Buckbeak. The hippogriff bowed back, and allowed Harry to come closer. He untied the loop holding Buckbeak to the fence with deft fingers. Hermione and Ron came with dead ferrets, using them to lure Buckbeak. They managed to get away silently, and Fudge looked back outside. All was clear, and Fudge grinned, relieved. When Dumbledore and Macnair realized the condemned hippogriff was gone, they were furious. Fudge just kept his mouth shut, happy that justice was being carried out.

The kids ran into the woods to avoid pursuit, and tried to think of what to do next. "I think we should just let him go, let him fend for himself like any other wild beast," Ron said. Hermione looked torn as Harry retorted, "But he isn't a wild beast. He's been domesticated. I think we should give him to Sirius, at least until the heat dies down. Then, maybe, Sirius can give him back to Hagrid." Hermione nodded slowly, and said, "I think that's best. Harry, can you get a message to Sirius?" Harry was about to reply when they heard the howling. Night had fallen, and its creatures were coming out. "Hurry, up a tree!" Harry called out, and helped shove his friends into the tallest tree he could spot.

Buckbeak had stopped straining to get back to Hagrid when he heard the howl. Instinct was taking over. Harry looked around, trying to spot movement that would be a prelude to attack. He saw it, over in the distance. It was coming closer. Hermione and Ron called out to him, trying to get him into the tree, too. He ignored them, focusing instead on the movement. He ran into a clearing, knowing Remus would follow him. It worked.

Remus followed Harry into the clearing, and howled. Harry removed his ring, knowing his friends couldn't see him. He bared his fangs and extended his claws, ready to turn a year of abuse around. Remus lunged, and tried to pounce on the unnatural creature in front of him. He wanted to rip and tear it to pieces, he hated it. Harry realized that Remus hadn't had his potion, so tonight his teacher had no humanity for Harry to find. He sensed the second presence nearly too late. He ducked just in time to avoid the tree branch being swung at him. He heard a frightened squeak, then pounding footsteps. "Damn Death Eater," Harry muttered, getting to his feet. Remus charged again, and Harry concentrated.

Harry felt free when he sprouted the wings. They were huge creations, leathery like bat wings, and had a span of nine feet. He flapped them experimentally, intimidating Remus. They had sprouted out of his shoulder-blades and felt like they could support him. He took to the air, and soared above Remus. Buckbeak galloped into the clearing and reared up at Remus, holding him at bay while Harry returned to the ground. Remus charged at Harry, catching him by surprise as he had just sensed Dementors coming. _Let me guess, Dumbledore figured out I was loose. That coward is going to get me killed—again._ Remus managed to sink his claws in Harry's chest, and started ripping. Harry screamed, and brought his rather delicate wings back in. Buckbeak knocked Remus off Harry, but there was still a lot of blood. Harry lay on the ground, panting, as the Dementors approached. Ron and Hermione came running. They had climbed out of the tree when they heard Harry scream.

"Hermione, how do we fight off Dementors?" Ron asked quickly. The answer she gave was not one he wanted to hear. "I-I d-don't k-know," she stammered, terrified. She was reliving her worst memory, finding out Harry was dead. The Dementors were leaving Harry alone for now, and going after Ron and Hermione. Ron fell first, rendered unconscious by the Dementors. Hermione backed away, and tried calling for help. Meanwhile, Remus was approaching Harry's body. He still hated vampires, and wanted to rip this one some more.

Hermione shot a spell at Remus, and then help came. A large black dog hurtled into the clearing, and charged Remus. That gave Hermione time to run to Harry. She tried to get him to move, but was unable to. Luckily for them, though, the moon was going down. The battle had taken all night. The sun would soon be up, and Remus would transform back. _Hopefully, then he'll grow a heart, _Hermione thought desperately. The moon went down, and Remus gave a long scream as he transformed back. Ron was still unconscious, from whatever memory Hermione didn't know. _Probably when his brothers transfigured his favorite teddy bear into a spider, _she thought disgustedly.

Remus lay on the ground, panting, as Sirius crouched beside him for a moment. When Sirius heard Hermione sniffling, he turned to look, and saw Harry on the ground. "Oh Merlin, no..." He scrambled over to his godson and gathered him in his arms. Hermione slid Harry's ring back on him as she heard Ron stirring. Unfortunately for Ron, though, a dead branch high up in the tree he was under decided to fall at that moment. It crashed onto him with a sickening thud. Harry looked just like a normal boy with mortal wounds. As Hermione held him, the light went out of his eyes and his lean body went limp. Sirius closed Harry's eyes, thinking it was for the last time.

Remus finally came back to himself, and checked himself for injuries. He wasn't even scratched, though he still smelled blood. Then he looked at his fingers, and they were bloody. He had obviously injured or killed something. Then he saw Ron under the tree branch, but he wasn't mauled, so it couldn't have been him... Then he looked around him, and saw two people and a pair of legs. A _limp_ pair of legs. He scrambled over to make sure he hadn't done that much damage. When he got close enough, he saw the shock of black hair and the scar. It was Harry Potter, vampire extraordinaire. Sirius looked up as his ex-friend's shadow fell over him. "You tried to kill him..."

"He was already dead, you know. That's what vampires _are_," Remus retorted tiredly.

"That's why I said '_tried_', you traitor!" Sirius lurched to his feet, holding Harry carefully. "You did this to him! You attacked him, probably on Dumbledore's orders!" Hermione was quietly crying.

"Can I help what I do during the full moon?" Remus asked, almost unconcerned.

Sirius ignored him and continued, "Not only did you maul Harry, you put two innocent children in mortal peril." Remus took a step towards Hermione as Sirius spoke, and saw the truth of it when she flinched away. His failure to take his potion nearly killed two people and finished off their vampire defender. The weight of his ex-friend's words finally started to sink in.

When Harry started to stir, Sirius looked like a miracle was taking place. He carefully put Harry on the ground and whispered, "Come on, Harry, wake up. You can do it, come back to us." It seemed to work, Harry slowly opened his eyes. "It hurts..." Harry moaned. "I...need...blood..." Hermione listened to Harry, and then brushed her hair away from her neck. "If you need blood, then you can drink mine," she said firmly. Harry tried to shake his head, he didn't want to hurt her or anyone else, but silenced his protests. Remus watched in horror as Harry lifted his head and sank his fangs into Hermione's neck. She moaned deep in her throat as he fed. When he pulled away, she was pale and clammy. Harry was immediately afraid he'd taken too much, but she quickly assured him that she'd be fine.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Extra

**Disclaimer: **Extra! Extra! Harry Potter Not Mine!

**Author's Note: **We're nearly halfway through the story now. Thanks a bunch to those who are still with us. We hope you're enjoying reading the story as much as I'm enjoying writing it.

**Chapter 9 Quidditch World Cup**

Harry went home for the summer, hoping he'd see his friends again soon. Of course, the Dursleys wouldn't let him use the telephone, but they couldn't really stop the owls coming. Harry lounged indolently on his bed on the third evening after his return. He crossed his hands behind his head as he lounged, listening to Hedwig hoot softly. Suddenly, there was tapping at his window. A tawny owl he recognized was out there, and it had a letter clutched in its talons. He got up and opened the window. It hopped in and dropped a letter from Remus Lupin on his bed, before drinking some water from Hedwig's bowl. Harry tore open the letter and read it through. It said,

_Dear Harry, _

_I'm writing to tell you how truly sorry I am for how I treated you all last year. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. And yes, Sirius did remind me once again that you do have a soul. Once again, I'm sorry. Sirius did warn me about your...condition...last summer, but hearing the warnings is very different than meeting someone like that for the first time, when you instinctively despise that kind of person. I have already told Sirius all of Dumbledore's plans for you that I could. I will not repeat them here, just in case you get angry enough to do some harm to your despicable relatives. I'll tell you when next we meet, if you can bear the sight of me._

_Yours most sincerely,_

_Remus Lupin_

Harry thought about it for a second, and then replied with a short note telling Remus that he forgave him. He sent the owl back, and went back to lounging on his bed. He was dozing when Petunia screeched up the stairs, "GET DOWN HERE, BOY!" Harry was up like a shot, and dashed downstairs where he saw a most peculiar sight. There was a man in the living room. He looked familiar, but Harry couldn't identify him on looks alone, so he extended his senses. He smirked inwardly, and waved his hand. "Nice disguise, Dumbledore, but you're going to have to do better than that," Harry sneered. Dumbledore had his wand aimed at Harry's throat in a second, and replied in kind, "I'm not here for games. I'm here to tell you that you are not to leave this house for any reason." He lowered his wand, and left with a swirl of his robes.

"What did you do, boy, to bring him here and put you under house arrest?" Petunia looked disgusted that he'd apparently be staying all summer. Harry replied with a shrug, "Nothing much, just picked his pocket a couple of weeks ago." Petunia shrieked in rage, "You WHAT?!"

"I picked his pocket," Harry replied, sounding innocent.

"What did you steal, Harry?" Dudley asked excitedly.

"A teacher," Harry replied with another shrug. Dudley guffawed while Petunia glowered at him. "That is not funny, boy."

Another three weeks passed with Harry growing more bored every day. He hadn't had any letters from his friends, and guessed that Dumbledore was intercepting them. When the phone rang, Harry listened to his aunt pick it up downstairs. A moment later, Petunia called up the stairs for him. He went down, wondering if it was Hermione calling. As a Muggleborn, she knew very well how to use a telephone, and may have guessed that he wasn't receiving any mail. However, it wasn't Hermione on the phone, it was McGonagall.

"Yes, Ma'am?" Harry asked. He smirked inwardly when he heard her reply, "Harry, I fed your aunt a line about how the Ministry is enforcing Dumbledore's decision to place you under house arrest, and how your mail has been cut off because of that. She fell for it hook, line, and sinker."

"Do you know how long my mail has been cut off? I've been waiting for news on whether or not my friend got tickets for the Quidditch match next week," Harry replied, pretending to be annoyed.

"Unfortunately, I don't know, but I do have some news for you. Sirius has got five tickets for the World Cup. He's given one to me and Remus, he's sent one to Hermione, and he's saving the last for when we get you out of there," McGonagall said.

"Thanks, and could you tell Dumbledore that I think he's overstepping his bounds?" Harry asked. She laughed, and said, "Sirius already told him, but it didn't go over very well. For some reason, Dumbledore got upset for being called a tyrant." They both heard a click as the other receiver was picked up and McGonagall said formally, "Enjoy your holiday, Mr. Potter." She hung up, and Harry called out, "You really didn't need to listen to my phone call, Aunt Petunia." She snorted in response and said, "How else am I supposed to know whether or not your freaky friends are finding some other way to contact you?" Harry hid a snort and smothered a grin. "How else...?" he muttered.

Two days later, a stray cat found its way into the yard. It climbed up a tree near Dudley's window, and then leaped the distance to the ledge of Harry's window. It walked into his room, head and tail held high, then dropped a note on his desk. It hopped back out, and disappeared. Harry opened the note it had left, and it said simply,

_Be at the play park by midnight tomorrow. Bring spare clothes. After you leave, your house will be broken into to retrieve your trunk. Sirius._

Harry crumpled up the note, and sent Hedwig out ahead. He told her to wait until the next night, and then follow him. She obeyed and, nibbling on his ear affectionately, flew out the window. He watched her fly off into the sunset, wishing he could join her out there. The next day, he made sure his trunk was packed and ready for theft. He waited in his room until the Dursleys had gone to bed, then, grabbing his Firebolt, jumped out the window. He threw on his Invisibility Cloak, mounted his broom, and kicked off. He flew high quickly, to avoid being spotted, and raced to the play park Dudley vandalized every week. When he got there, Hedwig swooped down and landed on a tree limb.

He looked around for his ride, and saw a hulking black shadow. He carefully extended his senses, and discovered that Hagrid was not there to meet him; he was there to watch the Dursley's house. He threw the Cloak back on, and waited. A few minutes to midnight, the same stray cat that had come the previous afternoon returned. It stopped to sniff a spot on the ground, while Harry carefully reached over and removed the note tied to its neck. A moment later, the cat ran off. He used his extraordinary night vision to read the note. It said,

_Trunk has been retrieved. Other part of plan not aborted. Fly to old Primary School. Moony will meet you there. Sirius._

Harry obeyed, after telling Hedwig to follow him. He flew the short distance to the school he hadn't attended in over three years. It was empty, because it was the middle of the night. When he arrived, he sensed the presence of his werewolf contact, and waited. Moony came out of the shadows, and approached him. "Sorry about that. We didn't know Dumbledore would send anyone to watch the park." Remus then took his hand and apparated them both to Ottery St. Catchpole, and the Burrow. He took Harry to the front door, then apparated away. Harry knocked, and a few minutes later Molly Weasley appeared wearing a fluffy pink bathrobe. "Harry, dear, why didn't you let us know you'd be coming?"

"That's because I didn't know myself, and my mail is being intercepted," Harry replied.

"Oh, Harry dear, come in, where are my manners, come in and tell me all about it." Molly stepped aside so he could enter, then set about getting some leftovers for him to eat. He told her that Dumbledore had placed him under house arrest for picking his pocket, and then Molly shrieked loud enough to wake the entire house. All the Weasleys in residence piled downstairs to see what was wrong. Molly scolded Harry, saying, "You picked Dumbledore's pocket?! How could you! You are going to return what you stole right now, and I'm going to open a Floo channel so you can!"

"What did you steal, Harry?" Arthur asked sternly. Harry winked at Ron, Fred, and George, before answering their father. "I stole a teacher. Professor Lupin was in Dumbledore's pocket, and I got him back." All the Weasleys except Ron and the twins were dumbfounded. Molly had been about to open the Floo channel, but hadn't done it yet. Instead, it opened of its own accord, and Sirius stuck his hand through to give Harry his ticket and a note.

_Sorry I couldn't speak to you, Harry, but I just found out the Floo Network is also being watched. The only unwatched fireplace in Britain is Dumbledore's. I broke in to use it for a second, and I had to duck back out before he came back. Remus told me you had arrived safely, even with Hagrid's interference. With this note is your ticket for the World Cup. Hermione has already accepted hers, and will be arriving at the Burrow in two days' time. Be careful, as I suspect Voldemort is regaining his strength. I will see you at the campsite before the match. Sirius._

Two days later, Hermione arrived. She flew into Ron's arms and kissed his cheek before letting go to greet Harry, who she gave a quick hug. "Thanks for giving me a ticket for the match, Harry," she said. Harry mumbled how it was no problem, how it was more Sirius who did it for him, but she ignored him. She had gone back to Ron, while Molly looked on contentedly. Arthur, however, watched Harry's reaction, unnoticed by everyone else.

When the morning of the match arrived, everyone woke up early. They ate breakfast, with Harry pretending to eat seconds and thirds, and Molly said, "Oh you poor boy, you must be starving, you really should eat more when you get the chance, you're almost rail thin." Harry just nodded while trying to meet Hermione's eye. That was the signal that he actually was hungry. After breakfast, they all trooped outside and climbed the nearby hill to find the portkey. Harry cast the bits of garbage a cursory glance, and said, "It's the old boot right there." Arthur picked up the boot and confirmed that it was the portkey.

A few minutes later, two more people topped the rise. Amos Diggory sneered when he saw Harry, while Cedric waved. Hermione was busy hanging all over Ron, and didn't notice that they had arrived. Cedric walked over to Harry and said, "I personally find that disgusting," while gesturing over to Ron and Hermione. Harry nodded and grabbed the boot. The portkey activated a moment later, and dropped them on the edge of a large field. "Seven past five from Stoatshead Hill," a voice said over their heads. They got to their feet, and Sirius walked over to them. He looked quite resplendent in his Auror robes. "Alright, Harry, Hermione, come along," Sirius said. Hermione looked like she wanted to stay with the Weasleys, but Sirius said again, "Come along. We have a different campsite."

Harry went over to him and asked, "Which campsite do we have?" Sirius replied quietly, "The campsite furthest from the Weasleys' as I could get without selling back the tickets I bought." Harry smothered a huge grin. "Thanks, Sirius," he murmured. When they reached their campsite, they set up the tents and built a fire. A few minutes later, Remus arrived with water. "I saw Ron," he said nonchalantly, "and he was flirting with a young blond." Hermione blanched. Harry saw Remus and Sirius grin and guessed that Remus made that up. McGonagall arrived with food, including a bottle she handed to Harry. He thanked her and wandered off into the nearby trees.

When the vendors started arriving, Hermione insisted they go look for the Weasleys among them. Sirius suggested that Remus and McGonagall go with Harry and Hermione, and they quickly agreed. The kids bought green rosettes while the teachers kept them out of trouble. After an hour of walking around, they returned to their campsite to get ready for the match. "Which seats do we have, Sirius?" Harry asked. "Since I'm part of the Auror contingent for Minister Fudge, we're in the Top Box." Harry nodded understanding, while Sirius continued, "Sorry Hermione, the Weasleys only got General Admission seats." He didn't sound sorry at all, Harry noticed.

They reached the Top Box, where Fudge greeted them jovially. "Hello, there, Sirius. Glad you could make it. And incidentally, you're the first of the Aurors to arrive." He shook hands with the rest, and said to Remus, "I'm glad you finally saw the error of your ways. For a while there, I thought I was going to see an arrest warrant for you on my desk." Other dignitaries started to arrive, and Fudge tried to introduce them to his Bulgarian counterpart, with limited results.

Finally, the game started. Ludo Bagman announced the team mascots. First was the Irish Leprechauns, which showered them with gold. Hermione started grabbing it like her life was depending on it, while saying, "I'll give this to Ron." Harry shook his head and said, "Don't tell me you don't know. Leprechaun gold vanishes after a few hours. You'd just be giving him the lint from the pocket you put the galleons in." Hermione looked abashed, and dropped the fake gold. Next were the Bulgarian mascots, the Veela.

The Veela started singing and dancing, and several men made fools of themselves trying to impress them. Harry wasn't affected one iota, but someone else was. They heard a loud groan, then a shout. Bagman looked down, and said, "Mediwizards are treating a teenage boy who jumped from the stands!" Hermione looked down, and she could barely see the shock of red hair. "Oh my god! It's Ron! He must have jumped because I wasn't there! Oh, I have go to him!" She tried to get up, when McGonagall said, "Hermione listen! He wouldn't have jumped if he was trying to reach you, he would have _climbed_! What he was trying to do is jump out of the stands, land on the ground a hundred feet below unhurt, then run over to the Veela. He failed, of course."

Ron was transported to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries to be treated for his injuries. The Quidditch match started after he was peeled off the field, with Bagman shouting out the names of the players. The match started with the Bulgarians playing dirty. They were trying to injure the Irish team. "Oh, that's obviously a foul!" Bagman shouted when two of the Bulgarian Chasers rammed the Irish Keeper aside while the third Chaser scored. "Moran easily puts away the penalty shot, and play resumes...until the next foul! Krum flew into Lynch intentionally! And Mullet puts away that penalty shot, and play resumes." The Bulgarian Minister of Magic just put his face in his hands and shook his head.

"That Krum really is a nasty fellow," Harry said, while Sirius nodded agreement. At that moment, Harry got a sudden vision of Krum and Hermione dancing at a Ball. _Not if I have anything to say about it, they won't,_ Harry thought grimly. Sirius glanced over at Hermione, who was just staring at the players with glassy eyes. He nudged Remus, who nudged McGonagall, who then told Hermione, "don't worry; he's probably flirting with the Healers as we speak." Hermione flinched, and Remus added, "Yeah, maybe even that blond girl I saw him with, what's her name? Oh yes, Lovegood, that's it." Then he thought to himself, _Note to self: inform Luna Lovegood she was flirting with Ronald Weasley before the match. _While that was going on, Ireland scored three more times, bringing the score to 190-30 in favor of Ireland. They saw Krum and Lynch hurtling toward the ground, and then Krum pulled up while Lynch didn't. "Oh, a Wronski Feint! I didn't know he could do that! Well, anyway, Lynch is being treated by the Mediwizards," Bagman called out.

Several minutes later, Lynch was back on his broom, then falling victim to the Wronski Feint again. While he was being treated the second time, Krum caught the snitch. Everyone cheered. Bulgarian supporters cheered because Krum caught the snitch, and Irish supporters cheered because they won. "And so ends the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup! Ireland wins 190-180 with Bulgarian Seeker Viktor Krum catching the Golden Snitch!" They all left the stands after the victory lap by Ireland, and Harry was glad that the cheaters didn't prosper. He was also glad that Hermione seemed to have forgotten all about Ron in the celebrations. He noticed Remus ducking out of camp soon after they got back. He returned a few minutes later, and whispered to Sirius and McGonagall, "I just told Luna Lovegood that she was flirting with Ron Weasley. She agreed very quickly, and even said she would gladly do it for real." The adults snickered and Harry bit down onto his fist to keep from joining in. In fact, he was sure he wasn't really supposed to hear that, but he couldn't stop himself.

That night, they were all sleeping when Harry heard a noise. He silently crept out of the tent he shared with Sirius and Remus, and found a large group of people gathering. They seemed to be drunk, and they were all wearing dark robes and skull-like masks. They were Death Eaters. They started marching, and Harry ran to wake everyone else. He saw two figures he recognized, both from the little meeting he overheard during the summer after his first year. He crept over to them, trying to get a peek under one of their masks. He succeeded, and thought immediately, _Dumbledore's never going to believe this..._

He and Hermione ran into the woods after that, the screams from the campsite echoing behind them. Harry felt the fear of the crowd as a physical pain. He tried to shut it out, but there was too much. Hermione tripped over a tree branch, and Harry caught her before she even started falling. "Thanks, Harry," she said breathlessly. "No problem," he replied. They stopped to take a break, and she asked, "The Death Eaters. Did you recognize any of them?" Harry said in response, "I could give you the name of every single person to take the Dark Mark, but for half of them you wouldn't believe me. I can name everyone who will take the Mark within the next three years, but you would hate me forever if I told you. I can tell you with reasonable certainty every witch and wizard born of Salazar Slytherin's line, but you would hate me for that, too."

Soon after Harry's little speech, they heard a twig snapping. Harry extended his senses while Hermione raised her wand. Harry was going to raise his, too, but upon a search of his pockets, discovered it was missing. "Damn, my wand is gone," he muttered. Hermione snorted softly, and muttered just as quietly, "You don't even need your wand; I've seen you do spells without it." Harry lowered his voice an octave more and replied, "Yes, but _he _doesn't know that." They both heard the newcomer shout, "_MORSMORDRE!_" and they watched in horror as a glittering green skull rose into the air. They noted that the skull, which glittered like thousands of tiny green stars, had a snake slithering out the mouth like a ghastly tongue. Seconds later, he pushed Hermione to the ground as he crouched over her. A handful of red flashes crisscrossed over their heads.

"Stop, those are my kids!" Sirius shouted as he ran into the clearing, his Auror robes billowing. His badge glinted on his chest, catching the light from the glittering skull. Everyone else stepped back as Harry brought Hermione back to her feet. "Careful with those wands, you might hurt somebody," Harry said sarcastically. Sirius rushed over to them and asked, "Are you two alright?" Hermione nodded in reply as Harry said, "Whoever conjured that thing is over there, and he used my wand." Bartemius Crouch went to investigate and brought back a house-elf Harry recognized from the Top Box and Harry's wand. He checked the wand, and sacked the elf, which happened to be his. He finally released Harry and Hermione, who left with Sirius.

"Are the Muggles alright?" Harry asked Sirius when they returned.

"They're fine. They're getting their memories modified. We couldn't catch any of the Death Eaters, though; they all apparated away when they saw the Mark," Sirius replied.

"It wasn't Winky who cast it. It was a young man, and Crouch is covering it up. He found someone, but is protecting him," Harry said casually. "And this is going to come back soon to bite him in the ass."


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine, so don't sue me

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter is not mine, so don't sue me! Sue JK Rowling for butchering the series.

**Author's Note: **We are now moving into fourth year. The R/Hr will be more pronounced and more ridiculous. Sit tight and wait for H/Hr. It will come, near the end. Parseltongue will be written in italics with quotation marks. In this chapter, I use some German. This is accurate, as I have checked it. Tell me what you think.

**Chapter 10 The Triwizard Tournament**

The Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade station with a hiss and a clang. Students started disembarking and climbing into the waiting carriages. It was pouring down rain, and no one wanted to wait. No one except Harry Potter, of course. He didn't mind waiting. He knew it would be best if he got in the last carriage. He was starting his fourth year at Hogwarts, and it was starting to show. He was taller and leaner, and some of the new first years on the train thought him to be a prefect. Especially a small mousy-haired boy he was sure was related to Colin Creevy. Colin called out to him, "Hey Harry! Do you want to grab a carriage, Harry?" Harry saw that there was only one carriage left, and it was picking up a few stragglers. Harry shrugged and boarded with Colin, and saw Ginny Weasley and another girl sitting on the bench. Ginny beamed when Harry sat down, but he didn't beam back. He still thought there was something suspicious about her...

When they reached the castle, they saw Dumbledore looking out the door as the carriage pulled up. Harry, Colin, Ginny, and the blond girl with the cork necklace got out. Harry distinctly saw Dumbledore look over the three kids, as though checking for puncture marks. Of course, he found nothing, because Harry's not that kind of vampire. The four of them ran in through the doors Dumbledore held open, though the Headmaster tried to block Harry entering. Harry glared at him and swept past, careful not to strut.

The Sorting started a little late, as the boats carrying the first years were blown off course. The boat carrying Hagrid wasn't affected, so he, with the Giant Squid's help, was able to get the kids back on course. And sure enough, that mousy-haired little boy Harry was sure was related to Colin, was called up. "Dennis Creevy!" McGonagall called. The boy stumbled forward wearing Hagrid's moleskin overcoat. He put the Sorting Hat on, and was declared a Gryffindor. The sorting continued, and then Dumbledore stood up. "I have great pleasure to announce that the Triwizard Tournament will be played at Hogwarts this year," the Headmaster began. As he went on to explain what the Tournament was, Harry looked down the table for Hermione and Ron. They were sitting together, and Ron was looking raptly up at Dumbledore, hanging on his every word. Harry knew that Ron was going to try to enter, no matter what restrictions Dumbledore put in place.

The doors opened with a ponderous creak, then a bang as they slammed into the walls. Dumbledore looked over, annoyed, as his speech was interrupted. His face brightened, and he looked triumphantly over at Harry. Harry glanced coolly over the newcomer, and extended his empath abilities. He had gotten some training in that over the summer. It seemed that Remus' werewolf senses included a tiny hint of empathy: he can sense the fear of others. He was able to train Harry some in how to put a lid on his powers, which were admittedly far stronger than anything Remus had ever seen. Harry sensed a pit of evil in the new Defense teacher.

"Everyone, may I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Alastor Moody!" Dumbledore announced. Everyone applauded politely, as they didn't know much about Moody, other than that he was a famous retired Auror. "He has kindly agreed to come out of retirement and teach for this year." More polite clapping, though Harry could distinctly see Ron hopping in his seat for a chance to get a look at the old Auror. "I always knew the Weasley's were either weasels or rabbits..." Harry muttered to no one in particular. "Hey, Colin, do you have your camera with you?"

"Sure I do, Harry! Do you want me to take a picture of Moody for you?" the third year asked excitedly.

"You know what, yes. Take a picture of Moody and give it to me. It might come in handy sometime. I was originally going to have you take a picture of Ron jumping in his seat," Harry answered with a small grin. Colin excitedly snapped both pictures, and said, "I'll get these developed tonight." Harry thanked him, and went back to staring at Moody.

The next morning, Colin handed the pictures to Harry, who looked them over with a critical eye. They had come out really well, and Harry said, "Thanks Colin, they're excellent," before putting them in his pocket. During break, Harry went up to the Owlery to send the photo of Moody to Sirius. He kept the photo of Ron as blackmail evidence if he needed it.

"You have no experience with Dark Curses," Moody growled in class on Thursday. "I am here to teach you about the Darkest of the Dark Arts, so that you can try to defend against them. I have one year to do this, then it's back to quiet retirement." The class fidgeted with excitement. They obviously thought Moody would be a good teacher.

"You, Potter. Do you have any experience with the Dark Arts?" Moody asked suddenly. Harry sat up straighter, as Hermione turned to look at him from her seat in the front row with Ron. "Yes, I do." Harry answered simply.

"Care to elaborate, Potter?" Moody growled. Harry shrugged and said, "I guess I have no choice. Fine. I can cast Dark spells, and I've fought against Dark Wizards and Creatures." Moody seemed to smile at that moment, though what would have passed for a smile for someone like Snape, only made Moody's face appear more twisted and grotesque.

"Go on then. Cast a Dark Curse on me. I will block it, thereby showing the class how it's done, when fighting an amateur," Moody grinned. He raised his wand, ready to deflect a standard Dark spell cast by an inexperienced teenager. Harry smirked, and said, "You asked for it." He raised his wand and, without a word spoken, conjured a twelve foot long King Cobra. The pale olive snake recoiled for a moment, but Harry hissed in parseltongue, "_Threaten him, but don't attack._" The Cobra slithered forward, raised its head with its hood opened, and hissed. Its two-inch-long fangs were bared as it hissed. The class was starting to become alarmed. It swayed as Harry spoke to it more, then turned to feign a strike at Ron. When it returned its attention to Moody, Harry said to the teacher, "I can dismiss it now, if you wish, Professor." Moody tried to banish the snake but, like Lockhart two years ago, the spell only made the snake mad. Moody finally nodded, and Harry dismissed the Cobra with a wave of his wand.

An hour later, class was dismissed. Everyone but Harry had homework. "You clearly know your Dark Arts Mr. Potter," Moody complimented him as the class filed out. "Twenty points to Gryffindor."

The next day, Harry got a reply from Sirius. He had sent his godfather a question about Moody's identity, and the answer had taken a little while. The reply said,

_Dear Harry, _

_I agree that it is a little odd. The last I heard, Moody and Dumbledore had a falling out. Now Dumbledore has called Mad-Eye out of retirement, I don't like it. Keep on your guard. And come to think of it, this photo you sent me of Mad-Eye arriving doesn't even look that much like the Mad-Eye I remember. Assume this is an imposter, and act accordingly._

_Sirius_

The next month passed as though in a heartbeat. It seemed to pass more quickly for Harry; as the undead, trivial things like time don't matter so much, as he has all the time in the world. On October 30th, An announcement was made that the delegations from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons would be arriving that night. Classes would let out early so everyone could greet the guests. Harry was having some trouble blocking out all the excitement, and he also kept having dreams involving the Durmstrang Headmaster. He knew, even before he met the man, that he was evil.

The first delegation to arrive was Beauxbatons. Their carriage appeared over the forest, drawn by a team of huge palominos. The horses skidded to a stop, and stood heaving. Their ears flattened and their nostrils flaring, they sniffed around, as though they sensed danger. Harry knew they could bolt at any second, and hurt someone, so he went to calm them. McGonagall watched, ready to run to his rescue if he needed it. Dumbledore watched in disgust and muttered too low for anyone to hear, "...must be hungry." Harry stopped short, hand already outstretched to calm the frightened horses as the women disembarked. He shook it off, and continued forward. Madame Maxime, Headmistress of Beauxbatons, watched curiously as Harry worked. "Dumbly-dor, is this child your gamekeeper?" she asked in a thick French accent.

"No he isn't. He's just a student who I've given up on," Dumbledore answered with an easy smile. Harry heard that, too, and nearly lost control of his emotions. McGonagall _did _lose control. She turned on him and screeched, "You cold-hearted bastard! Miss Granger was right last year! What are you, Voldemort's Heir Apparent?!" Everyone winced, and some, like Hermione, actually applauded McGonagall. Moody looked him over appraisingly, as did Snape.

The lake started frothing at that moment, and everyone glanced over. Harry looked over at the turbulent water for a second and muttered, "Durmstrang. _Sturm und Drang._ Storm and stress, clearly. The lake is stormy, and it must be putting stress on the Durmstrang ship." McGonagall walked over to him, and said, "You know, I've never thought of it like that, but you're right. Let's see, ten points to Gryffindor for your keen observation of language meanings, and I've never seen anyone besides a Ravenclaw who thought like that before. Very good, Harry." The Durmstrang ship rose creaking from the lake, which settled down. All the students walked down the gangplank to the ground, and Harry saw the man leading them. "Professor, who is that?"

"That's Igor Karkaroff. He's the Headmaster of Durmstrang, and just between you and me, he's a former Death Eater. Left Voldemort's side after the war ended. Turned in several other Death Eaters, like Snape," McGonagall answered.

Harry just glanced once more at Karkaroff, and muttered, "He never left, and neither did Snape." McGonagall nodded, and replied, "I believe you."

The next day, several students put their names in the Goblet of Fire. Harry kept a watch on it, making sure nothing untoward happened. He kept his vigil all the previous night, going without sleep he didn't need. He would not interfere if something happened, but he was determined to know who did it. His vigil paid off, just before dinner on Halloween. He saw Moody stump in, look both ways, and drop a slip of parchment into the Goblet, and stump away, smirking. A few minutes later, a dark-cloaked figure slipped in and dropped a slip of parchment into the flaming Goblet. He left, and another dark-cloaked figure sauntered in and performed the same act as his predecessors. Harry smirked as he thought, _I thought so. I guess I should play along, if so many wish me dead._

Right after dinner, Dumbledore announced that the Goblet was ready to make its decision. He dimmed the lights, and everyone watched with rapt expressions. The Goblet flared up, and a tongue of flame nearly reached the enchanted ceiling. It descended with agonizing slowness, dropping a slightly charred slip of parchment into Dumbledore's waiting hands. "The champion for Beauxbatons will be Fleur Delacour," he announced. Everyone clapped politely, while the unchosen Beauxbatons girls cried. A second tongue of flame shot up, and descended, dropping a second piece of parchment into Dumbledore's hands. "The champion for Durmstrang will be Viktor Krum." Everyone clapped wildly, and the other boys from Durmstrang clapped their classmate on the back. A third tongue of flame had already shot up, and dropped a piece of parchment in Dumbledore's hands. "The Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory!" All the Hogwarts students went wild at that. The Hufflepuff sixth year stood up to join the other two champions in the side chamber.

Harry was about to leave, when something strange happened. The Goblet flared up a fourth time, and spat a fourth piece of parchment into Dumbledore's hands. He read it, and paled, then read it again, as though it would have changed to announce that it was all a practical joke. It wasn't. "Harry Potter..." he muttered. He spoke again, louder, "Harry Potter." Harry stalked over to Dumbledore almost threateningly and snarled, "I do not appreciate being the butt of your practical jokes, Headmaster. Grow up."

"Just get in the side chamber, creature. I'll be along shortly to find out how you bamboozled that Goblet," Dumbledore snapped, intending not to be intimidated. Harry obeyed angrily, and stood in the side chamber. As promised, Dumbledore came in with McGonagall, Moody, and Snape, as well as the judges from the Ministry.

"All right, Potter. Explain," Dumbledore growled.

"To put it bluntly, I didn't do it," Harry said. Moody and Snape snickered as McGonagall glared at them. "I didn't enter my name, and I didn't ask anyone to do it for me, but obviously they did."

"Who would enter your name without telling you?" Dumbledore asked.

"Show me the slip with my name on it, and I'll tell you," Harry countered. Dumbledore thrust the slip of parchment into Harry's hand almost angrily. Harry examined the slip, and smirked. "This isn't my handwriting. This is Snape's. I'd know it anywhere, as he loves to mark random things in my essays." Dumbledore spluttered with rage, while Snape was incandescent. "You think I would waste my time killing you, Potter?" McGonagall took the parchment from Harry and confirmed it. She stalked toward Snape like a cat stalks a mouse. "If you touch him, Snape, I will kill you." Then she turned on Dumbledore, and snarled, "He will not compete. He didn't enter and isn't eligible to enter, therefore he can't compete."

"It's a binding magical contract. His name came out, so he entered. He must compete, or he'll die for breaking the contract," Dumbledore said firmly, with a strange glint in his twinkling blue eyes.

A week later, Harry was called from Potions class for the Weighing of the Wands and accompanying photo-shoot. He left in a hurry, as he didn't want Snape to try to poison him. It would be too inconvenient if he had to make up some story about how he's immune to the poison. Of course, knowing Dumbledore, Harry wouldn't be surprised if Dumbledore ordered that he drink a cauldron-full of the most lethal poison in Snape's vast repertoire.

"Are you excited, Harry?" Colin asked excitedly. He was bouncing along at Harry's side like a puppy.

"I'm excited to get away from Snape. Do you know, I heard a rumor that Snape is a vampire?" Harry replied with a grin. Colin nearly fell on his face, he stopped so suddenly. Of course, he was bouncing again soon. "Nooo. I didn't know that. Do you know what kind he is? I just heard in Defense Against the Dark Arts that there are different breeds," Colin gushed.

"Yeah, I heard a vampire expert two years ago call Snape a 'low-grade Romanian'; of course, never let Dumbledore know about this. He's liable to expel anyone who speaks out against Snape," Harry replied with a conspiratorial smirk. Colin fell for it easily. "I won't ever tell him you told me. Do you mind if I tell Dennis, though? I wouldn't want Snape to hurt him." Colin stopped at the doors to the Great Hall, where the Ceremony was taking place. Harry answered quickly, "Sure, go ahead," before entering.

"Ah, now that our fourth champion has decided to grace us with his presence, we can proceed with the Wand Weighing Ceremony," Dumbledore sneered. Madame Maxime looked askance at Dumbledore at his tone. She didn't think there was anything wrong with this child. He certainly looked innocent enough. Her eyes followed Harry as he took his seat.

"To examine the champion's wands, we have the wandmaker Ollivander," Dumbledore continued. As he called their names, the champions came forward. "Ladies first. Miss Fleur Delacour, if you please." Fleur stepped forward as Dumbledore announced her. She handed her wand to Ollivander, who took it and waved it. At an incantation, a bouquet of flowers appeared. "Wonderful! Though it does seem to be a rather unique creation... It looks to be 10 ½ inches of willow with a...Veela-hair core. Is that right?" Ollivander asked. "Yes, that is correct. It is one of my grandmother's hairs," Fleur answered.

"Next up, we have our Durmstrang champion: Viktor Krum" Dumbledore announced. Krum lurched to his feet and thrust his wand into Ollivander's hand. Ollivander examined the wand, and said, "Ah, this is a Gregorovitch creation, unless I'm much mistaken." Krum nodded, embarrassed. Ollivander caused red wine to shoot out, and then handed it back to its owner, well pleased.

"Next is Cedric Diggory of Hogwarts," Dumbledore announced proudly. Cedric stood up and handed his wand to Ollivander. "Ah, yes. I remember this. Ten and three quarters inches of birch with a dragon heartstring core." He produced a covey of doves and pronounced himself pleased. Dumbledore stepped forward to speak to Ollivander before Harry could step up. "I have some concerns about the mental stability of Potter. I feel sure he is doing more than dabbling in the Dark Arts," Dumbledore murmured. Unfortunately, he didn't murmur quietly enough. Everyone heard him, but only Krum and Karkaroff seemed to believe it. Fleur glanced at Harry, patted his hand, and muttered, "I do not believe that. You look too innocent and kind." Cedric echoed her sentiments, and added, "I'm behind you, Harry. You're too honorable to do something so despicable." Harry grinned, his eyes wet. "Thanks guys, that means a lot." Madame Maxime came up behind Harry, and said, "Dumbly-dor told me he had given up on you. I think he gave up before he ever tried to know you, and that was his mistake." No one noticed the flash of light, or the puff of smoke, as the picture was taken.

Dumbledore reluctantly announced the last champion. "The fourth champion, Harry Potter." Harry stepped forward, and Ollivander said, "I informed Dumbledore that the spells your wands produce are the spells the wizard is more 'in tune' with. Miss Delacour's wand produced flowers, Mr. Krum's produced wine, Mr. Diggory's produced wildlife, and now I will see what your wand produces." He took Harry's wand, and said, "Yes, how well I remember. Eleven inches of holly with a Phoenix-feather core. Phoenixes are amazing creatures, and uncommonly good judges of character." He waved Harry's wand once, and instead of something being conjured, nothing happened. Until, that is, Harry slowly shortened. His arms lengthened into wings and he sprouted feathers. Everyone gasped as Harry straightened. He threw his wings out wide, and let out a burst of song, his emerald eyes on Dumbledore's blue the whole time.

"Oh Merlin... Merciful God in Heaven..." Ollivander muttered, awestruck. "I have never seen a reaction like this before in all my years... This is remarkable..." The Phoenix took flight, and alighted on Dumbledore's head. Dumbledore looked up, speechless, at the boy-turned Phoenix, before it took flight again. It landed in the same spot before the desk Ollivander was sitting behind, and then turned back.

"Mr. Potter... Harry... You just turned into a Phoenix... That proves that not only is your wand in perfect condition, but that you are as much a Dark Wizard as Godric Gryffindor was. Meaning, you are the noblest wizard alive," Ollivander stammered, still stunned.

The next day, the newspaper came out. Students and teachers were whispering about it in corridors, and were even seen glaring at Dumbledore. Ron and Hermione flanked Harry as they went to the Great Hall for breakfast that morning. When the owl delivered the _Daily Prophet_, the headline seemed to jump out at them.

**Potter Accused of Going Dark! Other Champions and Judges Rally Around Him in Support. **

_by Rita Skeeter_

_With the Triwizard Tournament approaching at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Wand Weighing Ceremony was held yesterday. In a controversial decision, you'll remember from a week ago, Headmaster of Hogwarts Albus Dumbledore announced that the fourth champion selected will compete in the Tournament, even though he is only fourteen years old. Hogwarts Fourth Year, Harry Potter, participated in the Weighing of the Wands. He was last to be called, and before he could be, Dumbledore made his two knuts known. He openly accused Potter of, and I quote, 'doing more than dabbling in the Dark Arts'." Commentator Ludo Bagman and Judges Barty Crouch and Igor Karkaroff sat in stunned horror as this reporter witnessed the magical scene. The Beauxbatons champion, Fleur Delacour, and her Headmistress Madame Maxime, as well as the other Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory both expressed their support of young Mr. Potter._

_In a surprising turn of events, young Harry Potter proved beyond any shadow of a doubt that he is not, nor ever could be, Dark. Ollivander, the famous wandmaker from Diagon Alley, informed everyone that the wands will produce an effect close to what is in the heart of the owner. Mr. Potter's wand turned him into a Phoenix for a short time. Before the spell wore off, Potter flew around the room singing, and even landed on Dumbledore's head. This reporter firmly hopes that Headmaster Dumbledore will cease and desist in his attacks upon Harry Potter's character._

Below, it showed a picture of Cedric and Fleur expressing their support of Harry, and Madame Maxime's declaration. There was also a small photo of Phoenix-Harry perching on top of Dumbledore's head. Ron and Hermione laughed, and glared at Dumbledore. Hermione even marched up to Dumbledore and snapped, "Do you have no honor?! Shut your trap about Harry! He's a good boy, and he's going to be a good man!" McGonagall applauded her, and said, "Twenty points to Gryffindor for your loyalty to your friend." Dumbledore scowled, and ground out, "Deten-" before he was cut off by a pair of giant hands coming out of nowhere. Two swats later, Dumbledore was on the ground trying to count canaries only he could see.

"I can read the paper," Hagrid growled. "I didn't like what you said about Harry. He's a good kid, whether or not he's suffering from any kind of medical condition."

Madame Maxime echoed Hagrid, and threw in her two knuts. "I am stunned you are still Headmaster. Do parents care so little for their precious children they send them to the likes of you?"

McGonagall and Hermione applauded the two half-giants. Hermione even hugged Hagrid around his knees as Ron came over to offer his support. Harry followed, his eyes once again misty as he looked on the smiling faces of his true friends and allies.


	11. Chapter 11

Let the Games Begin

**Let the Games Begin**

Dumbledore was so angry about the fiasco that was the Wand Weighing Ceremony, and the aftermath, that he felt it would be wise to put this young vampire in his place. This servant of Lord Voldemort isn't going to have a chance to resurrect his Dark Master. So Dumbledore had a plan, and he was going to make sure it worked.

"Charlie, I need some extra dragons. For protection of the castle," Dumbledore lied glibly.

"Oh, all right. How many do you need?" Charlie Weasley asked tiredly.

"Three for the three _real _champions. And I need four more for my little upstart," Dumbledore nearly gloated. He knew he was going to get what he wanted, and he always liked getting his way.

"Four! For one person! You bastard! You're going to kill him, you God-damn bastard!" Charlie exploded. Dumbledore whipped out his wand and silently cast a curse. Charlie's eyes glazed over and gained a faraway look. "You will have the dragons you require," the dragon keeper answered in a monotone.

Two weeks later, the dragons were delivered in the dead of night. Harry could hear the roars from Gryffindor Tower. He crept out of the tower and down the stairs for a closer look, as he was curious. When he got outside, the roars were louder, and he followed them around the edge of the forest. He saw the enclosure, and the seven dragons, and thought, _Oh goody._ He saw that four of the seven dragons were Hungarian Horntails. He immediately started thinking of a way to defeat them, but couldn't find one. It was three days before the First Task.

On his way back from the dragon's enclosure, he decided to shapeshift into a wolf, one of the forms a vampire could take. It wasn't an animagus form, really, so he didn't have to be registered. He felt powerful in his new form. The muscles in his four legs bunched as he bounded several feet at a time. He felt the wind rushing through his fur, then he saw someone approaching. From the scent, he recognized the person as Igor Karkaroff. He ran into him purposely, just to see if he was alone. He wasn't. Harry could smell the presence of another human; it was Viktor Krum. When Karkaroff stumbled as Harry bumped into him, Krum caught him and kept him from falling.

"What is it, sir?" Krum asked softly.

"It was probably a dog. I believe that half-breed oaf Dumbledore has teaching has a boarhound," Karkaroff muttered in response.

Three days later, Harry pretended to eat breakfast, as he had eaten the night before. When McGonagall came to him and said, "It's time to go to the tent for the First Task, Harry," Harry got up and followed her. "Don't worry, you'll do fine," she assured him. Harry assumed that Dumbledore hadn't told her about the extra dragons. He wasn't about to tell her, either, as he didn't want her to have a heart attack or stroke. He entered the tent, and saw the other champions and Ludo Bagman. Bagman held out a small felt bag and said, "You need to choose what you will be facing. There are different varieties of the same creature." Krum pulled out the Chinese Fireball with a number three around its neck. He smirked when he saw it, and said, "Scared, Potter?" Harry just glared and pulled out the next dragon. _I knew it. He rigged the drawing,_ Harry thought disgustedly as he pulled out a group of four Hungarian Horntails with the number four stretched across their twining necks on a banner.

"Shut up, Krum," Cedric Diggory and Fleur Delacour snapped together. Fleur then reached in and drew out the Common Welsh Green with the number two around its neck. Cedric pulled out the last dragon, the Swedish Short-Snout and the number one.

"All right. Now that you know what you're facing, you have a few minutes to think of your strategy," Bagman said. "All except for you, Diggory. You're first up." Cedric was about to leave, but he turned back and stood beside Harry. "Excuse me, sir. There must have been some sort of mistake. Harry pulled out four dragons," Cedric said, almost angrily. Fleur stepped up and took a closer look. "He's right! These are four Horntails! He can't face that many! He'll have no chance!" she burst out. She ran outside to get her Headmistress. Cedric threatened to hex Dumbledore, but Harry held him back. "I'll be fine, Cedric. Don't worry about me."

Reluctantly, Cedric went to face his dragon. He wanted to get back quickly so he could try to help his younger friend. He transfigured a rock into a Labrador to tempt the dragon, but the dragon wasn't tempted for long. Bagman yelled, "Oh that was brave, and clever! Too bad it didn't work!" Harry heard the crowd's screaming and tried to isolate Dumbledore's yells from the rest. He wanted to feel what Dumbledore felt. He got waves of glee, anticipation, and enthusiasm, and all of that was tinged with pain. Madame Maxime had smacked Dumbledore right before Cedric started. Harry closed his powers off, suddenly overcome by despair. Dumbledore hated him for what he had become, and Harry started doubting his plan to get him back.

Fleur was up next. She went out and attempted to charm her dragon. It was nearly asleep when it snorted and set fire to her robes. Bagman shouted, "Oh, that must have hurt. She tried putting it to sleep, but it didn't work! Oh, I don't believe it! She tried again and it worked! That dragon is out for the count! And she's gotten her egg!" Harry knew then that Fleur had succeeded in capturing her egg, and would he talking to a teacher. Harry's heart was warmed by her outrage on his behalf.

Next up was Viktor Krum, who was facing the Chinese Fireball. A few minutes later, Harry heard the dragon roaring in pain and outrage, and heard Bagman shout, "I really don't think that was wise! He shot a curse into the dragon's eyes! Oh, that wasn't wise!" Eventually, Krum got his egg, but after several other eggs were smashed.

"Next up we have the last champion, Harry Potter! Potter will be facing a whopping _four _nesting mothers, one of which has the much-sought golden egg! This was a last-minute change in agenda by Albus Dumbledore, who thinks Potter can handle this. Now, let it begin!" Bagman shouted to a wailing crowd. Harry distinctly heard McGonagall's shrieks of "Traitor!" as she descended on Dumbledore like an avenging angel. He imagined Hermione following after her, just as enraged, like the avenging angel's handmaiden. Harry chuckled at the mental image and left the tent.

He approached the four dragons, and muttered, "Hm hm hm, let the games begin..." He concentrated, and sprouted his wings. He had flourished his wand so as to maintain his cover, and the wings came out. He took off, and flew up. He swooped in front of the four dragons, two of which breathed fire on him. He swooped out of the way, an a third came up to chase him. "Oh no," Harry muttered as he flew away. Soon there were two dragons chasing him. The one with the golden egg was still on the ground, but it was breathing fire on him as the two in the air circled and the third provided rear guard.

"Something's making them act cohesively, like a unit. But what?" Harry asked himself. He decided his best bet was to scare at least one, maybe incite rebellion within the ranks. He tried to scare them, like only vampires can, but it failed, miserably. Dragons were just too fearsome to be scared by an undead human, even a wizard.

Harry suddenly dived and swooped behind the one guarding the golden egg. The two circling saw him and both breathed fire on him, but they hit the mother dragon. She was enraged, and returned the unwitting attack, with interest. The fourth, the one guarding the rear got swiped by the horned tail of one of the others, and started attacking indiscriminately. Harry dove in between the flailing tails and the streams of fire, and grabbed the golden egg. He swooped back out of the impromptu argument, and flew to a safe distance. The dragon keepers approached with extreme caution to break up the fight. They ended up using about a hundred Stunners to incapacitate the dragons.

McGonagall ran up to him, shrieking, "You did it, and against four dragons! Don't worry, that damn fool that set the things on you is busy explaining his actions to the Minister of Magic and a legion of Aurors." Harry smiled, and muttered, embarrassed, "I still haven't gotten the hang of human transfiguration." McGonagall nodded for Fudge's benefit. The Minister had wandered over as the Aurors were trying to take Dumbledore into custody. "Harry, my boy, that was some excellent bit of flying. You handled those wings very well." McGonagall smiled, and said, "Yes, you did very well for someone not yet in sixth year. Now let me take care of your wings."

Harry retracted his wings as she waved her wand. Fudge wandered back to the Aurors, to harangue Dumbledore some more. When they managed to handcuff him, they dragged him over to his erstwhile victim. "Now maybe you can redeem yourself a tiny bit by showing regret for your actions," one of the scarlet-robed Aurors sneered. Dumbledore spat on the ground at Harry's feet, and Ron Weasley kicked him. "You tried to kill my best friend!" Ron spat. Dumbledore squeaked in pain, but it came out high-pitched. "Maybe if you repent, some church will let you sing for their choir!" McGonagall laughed. The Aurors dragged Dumbledore away, chortling.

He was back by sunset. Everyone was sure he had performed some illegal magic to get away, so rumors ran rampant in the weeks following Dumbledore's arrest and subsequent return. The reason for the dragon's concert attacks was debated for the next several weeks. Some believed he had used the Imperious Curse on the dragons, but Moody seemingly quashed that theory with his next class after the task. He announced that he was going to be casting the Imperius Curse on each of them, in turn, with Dumbledore's permission.

"First up, let's have Granger," Moody grinned. Hermione stepped forward bravely, holding her head high, and Moody cast the curse before she could blink. "_Imperio_!" Hermione's eyes glazed over and became vacant where once they had sparkled with the passion Harry loved about her. "Now, give Weasley and Potter a lap dance." Hermione looked like she was going to obey, and Ron looked expectant, but then she fought it. After several false starts for the lap dance, she regained control of her actions. Ron looked put out while Harry was relieved she wouldn't have to live with the shame of doing that in public.

"Nice job, Granger. You fought it, barely. Sit back down," Moody said, his disappointment hidden to all but Harry. Harry hid a dark look, and watched Moody from under heavy lidded eyes. "Weasley, you next." He raised his wand a second time, and Ron's eyes glazed over. They were blank, giving the red-headed boy an even dopier look. "Jump up and down while barking like a puppy," Moody ordered with a gleeful tilt to his destroyed mouth. Ron obeyed easily. He wasn't able to fight it at all. Moody kept giving him orders, then finally lifted the curse. "You failed, Weasley. They'd have the time of their lives controlling you, and you'd make it so easy for them it'd be like taking candy from a baby," Moody barked. Ron sat down, abashed. "That was the hardest thing I've ever done," he muttered to Harry. "When I tell my parents about this, Moody will lose his job," Ron continued, slightly happier. "Careful, you're starting to sound like Malfoy," Harry cautioned him.

"Potter, you next." Moody raised his wand for the third time, and fired the curse with as much power as he could put behind it. Nothing happened. "Are you sure you're doing it right, Professor?" Harry taunted him. "I didn't feel a thing." Moody growled in rage and Flooed Dumbledore. The Headmaster came and asked, "What's the problem, Alastor?" Moody pointed accusingly at Harry and spat, "That's the problem! My Imperius Curse isn't working!" Dumbledore looked Harry up and down, raised his wand and muttered, "_Finite!_" Harry blinked, but no spells broke because there were none in place. Dumbledore waved his wand, focused all of his considerable power behind the spell, and bellowed, "_IMPERIO!_" Hermione screamed, "No!" as Harry continued standing there, unaffected. "He must have some kind of immunity, Alastor. There's nothing we can do," Dumbledore announced, defeated.

Class ended, with no one matching Harry's power and skill. No one even came close. At the end of class, Dumbledore said, "Potter, wait. I want you to try to cast the curse on me. Professor Moody informed me you have a great deal of skill in casting Dark Curses." Harry looked him straight in the eye and finally answered, "All right. But this might prove embarrassing for you."

"I assure you, I am a master in breaking this curse. No one's been able to hold it on me in over a century," Dumbledore bragged. Harry shrugged and said, "If you're sure, sir." Harry raised his wand, and readied his mind for the coming battle. The room seemed to darken as Harry brought his greatly enhanced power to bear. "_Imperio!_" Harry incanted. His mind quickly overpowered Dumbledore's internal shields, bringing the bragging master to heel. "Answer my question truthfully," Harry ordered. Dumbledore nodded, his eyes glazed over. "Do you hate me?" Harry asked in a softer voice. Dumbledore seemed to struggle with the answer, until finally he said it. "Yes," he whispered.

Harry broke off the curse with a stricken look to his eyes. "I never hated you," he muttered as he turned and ran from the room.


	12. Chapter 12

The Early Bird

**The Early Bird**

Still weeks after the almost-disastrous First Task of the Triwizard Tournament, people were coming up to Harry and congratulating him on his cleverness in attempting to transfigure himself and flying to escape the four dragons. Ron was walking next to him to the Great Hall during one of these encounters. "Harry, mate, don't let it get to you. It'll die down, it always does," Ron encouraged him. Harry simply nodded, and then his head started pounding suddenly. He swayed, and Ron caught him and lowered him to the ground. "You've got to get this headache checked out," the red-head said exasperatedly. At that moment, Sibyll Trelawney, the Divination teacher, swooped down like an overgrown dragonfly.

"What is the matter, my dears?" she asked in her best mystical voice.

"I don't know, Professor. He keeps getting a headache, but won't go to the Hospital Wing," Ron answered.

"My dear Mr. Potter, it looks like you are experiencing the beginnings of clairvoyance. Have you been getting headaches often?" Trelawney asked, still sounding mystical, but with a touch of glee. It wasn't often she got her hands on true Seers before Dumbledore did.

"I've had a recurring headache for the past three days," Harry replied grumpily. He already suspected he might be clairvoyant; he'd had that vivid dream before the Quidditch match. He accurately predicted the presence of the Dementors the night before the match, helping him to prepare for it. He suddenly cried out, and got a flash.

_He and Ron were crouching behind a stone reindeer, listening to Hagrid tell Madame Maxime about his giantess mother. There was a strange beetle on the nose of the reindeer, seemingly also listening. They crept away from the reindeer and the private conversation, and instead found another one. Snape and Karkaroff were conversing quietly about something sinister, Harry could feel that much, even through the vision. Fast forward to the Astronomy Tower, a few years later, Snape holding his wand and looking murderous-_

Then the vision ended. Harry lay panting on the ground, feeling drained of energy. Hermione had come when Harry cried out and was there during his vision, holding his hand and trying to soothe him. Trelawney was helping him to stand and trying to get him to tell her what he saw. Harry, however, had no intention of telling anyone other than his friends. When Trelawney finally walked away, Harry spoke.

"Would you guys believe me if I said Trelawney was right?" Harry asked quietly. Hermione replied in a voice that clearly said what she thought of the whole thing, "You know what I think about Divination, and about its teacher, Harry. Professor McGonagall said it's a very woolly subject, and I believe her. Trelawney is a fraud."

Ron actually looked a little excited at the thought. "You mean you actually are a Seer?" Hermione huffed, and Harry said, "To put it bluntly, yes. I am."

"Wicked!" Ron whooped. He pumped his fist in the air and immediately asked, "Hey Harry, when's the next quiz in Potions and what are the right answers?" Hermione scowled as Ron pulled some parchment and a quill out of his bag.

"Ron, I'm not going to help you cheat, and my vision wasn't even about anything like that. I saw the near future," Harry replied in the same tone as Hermione. Ron looked put out, and replaced his quill and parchment in his bag.

"Then what did you see?" Hermione humored him. Harry knew she was humoring him. It hurt, but he hid it, as always.

"Ron, you and me were listening to a conversation between Snape and Karkaroff. It looked bad, like they were planning something-" Hermione snorted at that, but before she could interject something, Harry continued, "-then it skipped forward a couple of years, I suppose because the next incident was directly related to that conversation. I saw Snape on the Astronomy Tower, holding his wand, and looking like he'd like nothing better than to kill whoever was on the other end of his wand as painfully as he could."

Hermione's eyes widened, then she remembered second year. Harry had asked her how evil she thought Snape was, and she had replied, quite rudely now she thought about it, that Dumbledore wouldn't have hired him if he was evil. She thought about all Dumbledore had done, up to and including setting four Hungarian Horntails on Harry. _Hindsight is twenty-twenty, they say. I've been a fool. Snape could very possibly be evil, like Quirrell was, and this just about proves it,_ Hermione thought. She nearly burst into tears, but she did throw her arms around Harry's neck. "I'm so sorry, I've been a fool about Snape, and I've treated you rudely whenever you said anything about him," she cried. Harry rubbed her back and whispered soothingly into her ear, missing Ron's scowl.

For the next week, Hermione seemed to be trying to make amends for her earlier disbelief. She did just about anything Harry asked her, and put in several hours of research into Seers and prophecies. She actually found some interesting things that she wanted to talk to Harry about. When Harry walked into the library, he made a beeline straight for her. She looked up as he approached, but didn't say anything because he looked ready to speak.

"Hermione, c-can I ask you a question?" Harry mumbled bashfully. She was so surprised by his manner that she merely nodded. "D-do you want to g-go to the b-ball with me?" he stuttered. He looked down at his hands, which were twisting almost frantically. He looked so bashful and sweet she couldn't give any other answer than the one she did. "Yes, alright," she replied with a dazzling smile. Harry was so relieved, it seemed to Hermione that he was briefly projecting it to her, but it stopped, like a lid had been thrown over it. She decided to do some checking into that later.

"Thanks so much, Hermione! I promise, this dance will be fun, since we're going together!" Harry replied enthusiastically. She giggled, and neither of them noticed Ron glaring at them from behind some bookshelves. He crept away unseen everyone except McGonagall. She looked suspiciously at him as he left.

The Yule Ball started on Christmas Day at eight p.m. with a feast. Harry waited by the stairs to the girl's dormitory for his date to come down. Other boys came down, grabbed their dates, and left. Ginny Weasley came down, looked longingly at Harry, who kept his eyes firmly locked on the door to the girl's dorms. Finally, Hermione came down. She was wearing a soft pink dress that gathered at the waist and then floated down to her ankles. Her hair was up in soft ringlets, and in Harry's eyes, she looked like the most beautiful girl who ever lived. Ginny flounced out angrily, not accepting that the Boy-Who-Lived would pick someone more deserving than her as his date, that he would pick someone he could have a good time with, someone he could have an intelligent conversation with.

Once they were seated at the table with the other champions and the judges, Dumbledore leveled a cold glare at them. He ordered his dinner, expecting Harry to cause a scene by trying to order his food of choice, but Harry simply ordered the pork chop. Hermione ordered roast beef, and glanced to either side of them as it appeared. She saw Karkaroff glance at Snape, who was sitting at another table talking to Moody. She touched Harry's hand and his gaze followed hers, as though they were linked more deeply than even the closest set of twins. He saw Snape and Moody both glance at Karkaroff, who nodded imperceptibly—that is, to anyone but a vampire.

The Ball started, with the champions opening the dancing. Harry swept Hermione onto the dance floor just like he had two years ago at Nick's Deathday Party. He never stepped on her toes, and he always looked her in the eye, and held her lightly, as though afraid she would break. Harry signaled with a slight up-tilt of his eyebrow that he was going to spin her around. She smiled beautifully, and he spun her. She spun away gracefully, and then he spun her back with a deft twist of his wrist. He dipped her, and her leg came up next to his thigh by reflex. When she came back up, she looked deep in his eyes, and a warm feeling shot through her body. Everyone else had stopped dancing to stare at them.

"Harry, everyone's staring at us," she whispered, not wanting to break the mood that was forming between them. Harry drew her close, and put his mouth close to her ear, and whispered back, "Let them stare. They're just jealous." When the first dance ended, everyone else surged onto the dance floor and stared dancing exuberantly. Harry and Hermione noticed that people were giving Fred and Angelina a wide berth as they danced enthusiastically enough to injure those around them. In fact, Fred spun Angelina so hard she knocked into Professor Moody who was barely doing a two-step with Sinistra. He stumbled, and dropped his hip flask, which shattered on the ground. Harry was there almost in an instant to pick up the shards of glass. The liquid which splashed all over the floor was hardly liquid at all. It was a gluttonous substance that looked suspiciously like a potion. He looked up at Moody speculatively as the Defense teacher whipped out his wand and cleared up the mess. Moody glared at him for a moment before moving away.

"Did you see that, Hermione?" Harry asked her when he had rejoined her.

She nodded and replied, "Yes, I did. You know, that looks like Polyjuice Potion, but I can't be sure."

At that moment, Ron came up to them. He grinned at Hermione, who smiled back, and then he asked Harry, "Mind if I cut in?" Harry saw the hope in Ron's eyes, and the look in Hermione's eyes, and replied almost sadly, "Of course." Hermione looked as though she floated over to Ron with Harry's eyes never leaving her. He turned away regretfully, and immediately found Ginny there. "Hey Harry, do you want to dance with me? I know you can do much better than her," the red-head asked with a mischievous smile. Harry guessed that she didn't want to dance so much as she wanted to make out with him. He didn't even consider her offer before he said, "No, Ginny. Why don't you go back to Neville? I think he's looking for you."

"Oh, Harry, you can do so much better than her. Anything she can do, I can do better; and besides, I'm so much better for you than that nobody Hermione Granger," Ginny said snootily.

"Ginny, I said no. Go back to your date. Remember, his name's Neville Longbottom, and he's looking for you?" Harry snapped. He stalked outside and decided to sit down by the stone reindeer in the garden. Just like in his vision, there was a strange-looking beetle on it, and Hagrid and Maxime were sitting on the bench by the fountain. Harry got up and wandered up the path. It wasn't long before he found Snape and Karkaroff conversing. He crept closer under cover of darkness to overhear them better.

"It's getting clearer, Severus. He's coming back. You must have noticed," Karkaroff was saying.

"Of course I have noticed, Igor. Don't fret, He'll welcome us back and put our information to good use," Snape replied silkily. Then they walked on, and Harry heard some rather disturbing things about how Dumbledore would fare when "He" came back. Harry heard a rustling in the bushes, and a large black dog stepped out. Harry grinned, and followed the dog to a quiet place. Padfoot soon transformed into Sirius, who greeted Harry affectionately. "Remus said 'hi', by the way. Now, I'm going to assume you also overheard that conversation." Harry nodded, and said, "Voldemort's coming back, and he's going to welcome Snape and Karkaroff back into the fold. Snape is going to try to kill Dumbledore, who wouldn't believe the greasy git's betrayed him until after he's killed, and maybe not even then," Harry muttered angrily.

"Harry, this can be stopped. I hate asking you to do this, but with your...skills...you could pull it off easily: keep Dumbledore out of trouble. If he's walking into mortal peril, follow him. If you need to, kill whoever is endangering him," Sirius said firmly. "Soon, it's going to be war. In wars, shit happens." Harry met Sirius' eyes, and nodded.

AUTHORS NOTE: So Harry may be killing some people later on. He won't mind much, though, considering he's a vampire.


	13. Chapter 13

Glub, glub

**Glub, glub**

The day of the Second Task was drawing nearer. It was now nearly the end of January, and bitter cold. Harry was walking back from Potions wearing his coat and gloves, while Hermione and Ron shivered. After a particularly violent spasm, Ron complained, "How come you don't seem to feel this cold, Harry?!" Hermione carefully hid a wince, but she didn't need to. Harry already had a good excuse ready.

"Because I've already lost all feeling in my body. In fact, the only reason I know I'm standing on the floor is because I can see it below me," Harry responded easily. Dumbledore heard that and sneered.

"No, the real reason Potter doesn't feel the cold is because he's frozen inside," the Headmaster cut in. Ron was watching Harry as Dumbledore said that, and he saw the pain in Harry's eyes before he could cover it up.

"Do you so hate Harry, sir?" Ron asked simply. Harry already knew the answer to that question, but he hadn't told anyone about it.

"Yes. He's a sorry excuse for a human being, and I'd rather his parents had never met. Then I wouldn't be stuck with him," Dumbledore replied nastily. Hermione and Ron exploded. Hermione turned to comfort Harry while Ron drew his wand.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT ONE! _CRUCIO_!" Ron bellowed. He may not like Harry himself, but he was sure that even Voldemort would take Dumbledore to task for that one. All his hatred and anger at Dumbledore's statement came through, and Dumbledore writhed on the ground in considerable agony. Ron was actually starting to like causing the pain, until the spell was interrupted. Harry actually threw himself in front of the spell, taking the full force of it. The suddenness of it knocked Harry out cold. Dumbledore stood up slowly and saw Harry on the ground, Hermione crouching at his side.

"You bastard! He took a Cruciatus Curse for you! Can you still say you hate him?" Hermione screeched as Ron stood looking dumbly at Harry on the ground. He couldn't believe he'd actually used an Unforgivable Curse at all, let alone in defense of someone he hated. Dumbledore answered Hermione's question, but she didn't like the answer. She stood up and kicked Dumbledore in an area he never wanted to be kicked. He fell to his knees as Ron turned his wand accordingly.

At that moment, Moody and Snape appeared. They had heard the screams and were coming to investigate. They looked over the situation briefly, and then Moody asked, "What has been going on here?" Dumbledore simply looked up at them, a look of exquisite agony lining his face. Snape saw where Dumbledore was holding himself, and snickered. "Who did that?" he asked with a barely concealed grin. Hermione raised her hand, looking proud of herself. Moody stumped over to Ron and used Prior Incantato. A ghostly image of a sinister-looking spell floated out and held in place for a moment before abruptly disappearing. Moody whistled, "Woah, boy, I never thought you had it in you. Casting the Cruciatus Curse on someone is enough to earn a life sentence in Azkaban. But why did it vanish so abruptly?"

"Because Harry threw himself in front of Dumbledore. I'd never cast that spell on my friend, not for any reason," Ron answered numbly. Moody realized the significance of what Ron said and replied, "The last person who held onto so much hate became the Dark Lord." Snape nodded and cast a spell to return Dumbledore's ability to walk, though Dumbledore did stomp away bow-legged. "We'll let this slide, you two. Now get out of here," the greasy teacher muttered. Hermione and Ron helped Harry stand, as he had just woken up, and they all left.

"Ron, you do know Dumbledore's going to want revenge for that, don't you?" Hermione asked.

"He can do what he wants, as long as he doesn't transfer his hatred to you," Ron answered. He didn't know, but that was exactly what Dumbledore would do.

The week of the Second Task arrived. Harry had already solved the clue in the Golden Egg by filling the bathtub in the boys' bathroom in Gryffindor Tower and sticking his head in when he first heard the thing wailing incomprehensibly.

_FLASHBACK_

_Harry opened the Golden Egg in his dormitory three weeks before the Task, figuring he'd better get a move on and solve the clue. It started wailing immediately, and he tossed it away in surprise. It closed when it hit the wall, but the sound still reverberated in the room. Harry looked thoughtful, because he thought he could recognize a slight tune to the wailing. He crossed the room and picked the egg up again, and opened it. After a moment, he closed it again, and definitely heard a tune to the wailing. He stood there, thinking about sound waves, and thought about how a terrible singer can sound good in a shower because of the acoustics. That gave him an idea and he went to the bathroom. He filled the sink with water and stuck the egg in. The tune was much more pronounced, but he couldn't hear any song. He tried to stick his head in the sink, and could hear words, but the sink was too small._

_He filled the tub and stuck the egg in after climbing in himself, fully dressed. He submerged his head and listened. While he was listening, he heard a door open and close, and Ron call out to him. "Harry, you here?" Harry couldn't answer with his head in the water, then Ron came in the bathroom. "Harry..." Ron saw him in the tub and jumped to the wrong conclusion. "Christ, Harry!" he swore before dragging Harry out of the water and throwing him on the floor. "What the _hell _were you _doing_?!" Ron yelled, spit flying. Harry breathed deeply and said, "I was solving the Egg's clue."_

"_By drowning yourself? Come on, I'm not that stupid. I know what Dumbledore said two weeks ago hurt, but killing yourself is not the answer," Ron griped. Harry shook his head in wonderment._

"_I wasn't trying to kill myself, Ron. The Egg's clue can only be heard properly underwater because it's Mermaid song. The Second Task is to go into the lake and recover what I'll sorely miss," Harry calmly told his friend. Ron finally looked in the tub, and saw the Golden Egg still laying there open._

"_Oh, oh. Sorry about that, mate. I know you can be pretty high-strung, so I guess I just assumed the worst," Ron apologized. Harry smiled and nodded. "It's alright. Thanks for worrying."_

_END FLASHBACK_

Ron had kept an especially close watch on Harry after that, as though worried his jumping to the wrong conclusion may have planted the idea in Harry's head. _He doesn't know it, but he doesn't have to worry_, Harry thought to himself as he thought once again what he'd miss the most. It was a very short list. There was Sirius, Remus, and McGonagall, of course, but Harry doubted it would be one of them. He rather thought it would be one of his friends. So that left only Ron and Hermione. He guessed it would be Ron; that way, Dumbledore could try to kill two birds with one stone. Harry could swim quite well, but Dumbledore didn't know it, and the Headmaster would want revenge for Ron's cursing him. If Harry conveniently failed to rescue his hostage, Dumbledore would conveniently forget to get Ron out of the lake after the task, and he would drown.

Finally, the day before the Second Task dawned. It was bright outside, and not as frigid as it was a month ago. Harry had already had a vision showing four people tied to a statue of a merman. Those people were Ron, Hermione, Cho Chang, and Fleur Delacour's sister. The vision had ended with a man with a shark's head nearly biting Hermione in half. Harry swore to himself that would never happen.

The next day, he went down to the lake with the other champions. Cedric and Fleur smiled at him and Harry looked back at the stands. There, he saw Sirius and Remus waving at him enthusiastically. He hadn't looked for them before the First Task because he was roiling inside after pulling out four Horntails. Ludo Bagman came around and assured Harry, "There are no cheap tricks this time. I made sure of that." Harry took his watch off and asked, "Could you hold my watch for me while I go down there, sir?" Bagman nodded with a smile and pocketed Harry's watch. When the whistle sounded, the four champions dived into the lake. Harry saw Cedric and Fleur cast Bubblehead charms on themselves while Krum attempted to transfigure himself into a shark, but only managing the head. Harry just dived in and struck out for the bottom.

Harry used his enhanced senses to tell the direction he was going, and where he needed to go. It was only about ten minutes before he saw the merpeople village. He immediately swam for the stone statue and, drawing the pocketknife Sirius had given him, cut the seaweed ropes binding Ron. Ron floated there, asleep, while Harry went for Hermione. The merpeople lunged for him, but he glared at them, and they retreated. Harry realized a little too late, that he had unconsciously showed them his fangs. He went back to cutting Hermione's ropes. When the merpeople turned suddenly, Harry looked and saw Krum approaching, but the Durmstrang champion was caught by Grindylows. He saw Cedric and Fleur arrive together and both of them retrieved their hostages and swam back up after smiling at Harry.

Harry made to follow them, but he heard strange sounds coming from Krum. He turned to look and saw that the older student's Transfiguration skills weren't quite good enough. The spell had worn off when Krum tried to use his wand to fend off the Grindylows. Simply, the Durmstrang champion was drowning. Harry swam over with a few quick beats of his feet and chased the Grindylows away with a quick spell, then grabbed Krum. The merpeople watched as Harry dragged three people up to the surface.

When Harry reached the surface, he dragged his friends and Krum up. Hermione and Ron woke up and Harry said, "Nice of you to join me. Could you help me with him, I think he must be a little rusty at swimming." Hermione and Ron both helped tow Krum to the beach. Once on the sand, Harry coughed and said, "Thanks for your help." Sirius and Remus ran over to Harry, while Percy Weasley ran over to Ron.

"Harry, are you all right?" Sirius asked, concerned. "You were down there for a while," Remus confirmed.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But Krum drowned," Harry answered.

"He'll be fine, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey broke in. McGonagall was beaming at Harry alongside Hagrid and Maxime. Dumbledore, however, was scowling as he walked towards the merpeople who had risen out of the water. He conversed with them for a moment, and then they descended beneath the waves once more.

Cedric and Fleur were both given sixty points for returning first with their hostages. Harry was given sixty points for showing moral fiber in retrieving two hostages and another champion. Everyone clapped at that, with Dumbledore's scowl deepening. He glared so coldly at Harry, it was a wonder his blue eyes weren't boring into the back of Harry's head. After Harry's points were awarded, Krum was given twenty points for going in the lake in the first place. Krum and Karkaroff scowled at that, and Bagman returned Harry's watch, congratulating him in the process.

"The Third Task will take place on the grounds at seven in the evening on the 24th of June. The details of the task will be given to the champions precisely one month beforehand," Cornelius Fudge announced in a booming voice before everyone filed back up to the castle.

"Great work, Harry," the Minister of Magic said before Harry walked away.


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note: In this chapter, I skip ahead a couple of weeks after the Second Task

**Author's Note: **In this chapter, I skip ahead a couple of weeks after the Second Task. This is now around the time of Bagman taking the champions to the Quidditch Pitch and showing them the hedges that are growing. Of course, my version of that will be different... Warnings for violence and some bloodshed.

**Chapter 14 Filet de Dark Lord**

Harry was walking down to the Quidditch Pitch with Cedric, Fleur, and Krum. Ludo Bagman was going to tell them about the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament, which takes place in exactly one month. When they reached the Pitch, it was criss-crossed by bushes. Bagman asked, "Can anyone guess what's growing here?" Harry examined the hedgerows, noticed the right angles and long stretches, the shape of the bushes, and asked in response, "I assume this maze will be gone for the next Quidditch season?"

"Of course it will be! We wouldn't dream of ruining Quidditch!" the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports exclaimed.

Harry nodded and said, "That's good enough for me. What about you, Cedric?" he turned to his friend and fellow Quidditch player. Cedric shrugged and nodded.

"That's alright, then!" Bagman said jovially, bouncing from foot to foot like a child. "You can all head back up to the castle, then. The Third Task takes place on June 24th, starting at dusk. Your goal will be to find the Triwizard Cup, at the center of this maze. Hagrid will be providing obstacles." Everyone nodded, and they walked away. On the way back to the castle, Cedric stopped. He turned to Harry and said, "I've noticed some odd things I think you need to be aware of." He had spoken in a low voice, so as not to be overheard by Krum. They walk a short distance away to the edge of the forest and Harry asked, "What things?"

"Moody and Snape are planning something with Karkaroff. I saw them whispering together on my way out here, and I think Dumbledore may be in on it," Cedric said conspiratorily.

Harry looked thoughtful. "I know those three are up to something, and I know that whatever it is, it can't be good. However, Dumbledore's actions are new to me. Unless, of course, it's simply a convoluted scheme to kill or maim me; in that case, it's old news."

"Why does Dumbledore hate you so much?" Cedric asked.

Harry sighed and said, "I wasn't planning on telling anyone, but I think I can trust you. You have to promise to keep this a secret, though." Cedric swore to never tell anyone. "Alright. At the end of my First Year, I was in the forest doing a detention. On my way back, I was attacked from behind. That night, I died in the Hospital Wing. Dumbledore knows this, but has forgotten to practice what he preaches. Because of that attack, I am now a vampire." Harry looked like he was ready for Cedric to run away screaming, but the older boy didn't move.

"You're a vampire?" Cedric said instead. "That explains some things, like the wings during the First Task. What's important is what's inside, and I know you do have a heart and you wouldn't feed on a human for the sake of it. I know it must have been hard for you to tell me, and I'm sorry if I pushed you to tell me."

"That's alright, I can't keep it a secret forever," Harry answered.

"What's wrong with Dumbledore?! What's he playing at?! Is he trying to join the Death Eaters?" Cedric suddenly exploded, raising questions about a man many call a saint.

"I don't know, but he certainly is prejudiced. And you're not the only one to ask about Death Eater sympathies. Hermione, Ron, my godfather, and Professor Lupin have already asked him that question," Harry grinned at the thought. Cedric laughed as they walked up to the castle. Before they were too far away, Harry stopped. He looked around, alert and watching for the slightest sign of movement. The trees rustled to the left of them, and Barty Crouch stumbled out.

"Must...see...Dumbledore..." he wheezed. Harry and Cedric leaped into action. Harry started barking orders, which Cedric obeyed instinctively. "I'll fly up to Dumbledore's office, and bring him down here. When I bring him, I'll need you to wave your wand like your transfiguring me back. I don't want him to know you know what I am."

"Sure," Cedric replied. He stood over Crouch with his wand out as Harry sprouted his wings.

Harry flew up above the castle, then looked down for the tower he knows Dumbledore's office is in. When he saw it, he swooped down and rapped on the window sharply. Dumbledore looked up and scowled. He opened the window to tell Harry to go away, but Harry spoke first. "Barty Crouch is in the forest, begging to see you. I suggest you get down there right away," Harry said coolly. Then he flew back to the forest. When he got there, Cedric was still standing guard, and Crouch was talking to a tree, calling it 'Weatherby'. Dumbledore was close behind Harry, and Cedric waved his wand like Harry had wanted.

"You've really got to practice that more, Harry," Cedric teased him. "If you're trying to turn into a Thestral, you've got the wings down pat, but it has a body, too. You keep forgetting that." Dumbledore hid a sneer, thinking Cedric was stupid and still hadn't figured it out. He fully expected the Hufflepuff to denounce Harry the moment he found out what he was.

"Mr. Crouch, I've brought Dumbledore. You said you needed to see him," Harry said loudly. Crouch immediately fell to his knees and repeated, "Must...see...Dumbledore... done...terrible...thing...Dark Lord..."

Dumbledore walked up to him and questioned him. After several tries, he finally got the full story. Crouch's son, Barty Jr. was back in the service of Lord Voldemort, who is trying to return. A Death Eater called 'Wormtail' is helping him, and they'd rigged the Triwizard Tournament, trying to use Harry Potter to help Voldemort return. Crouch Sr. also reported how he had helped his son escape Azkaban by replacing him with his dying wife. Dumbledore glared at Harry and growled, "You cover your tracks well, but I've got my eye on you. I know you're helping him, too." Harry took a step back, the light seeming to leave his eyes,and said, "You're entitled to your beliefs, though they are wrong." Cedric glared so hard at Dumbledore's back that he turned to look at him.

"You have a problem with that, Diggory?"

"Yes, I do," Cedric replied, and punched Dumbledore so hard he saw stars. "My friend is not a Death Eater. _You _are."

Dumbledore was sitting in his office that night, his head in his hands, as he contemplated the situation. Voldemort already knew about the tournament, and was using it to his advantage. He had several Death Eaters who had already rejoined his service, and his Heir Apparent working for him, and Dumbledore couldn't figure out what to do to salvage this situation. He then heard a noise, and looked up. Severus Snape was standing in the shadows of his dimly-lit office.

"Is there a problem, Headmaster?" Snape asked silkily.

"I just don't know where I went wrong, is all," Dumbledore moaned. "I mean, I gave him to his family after his parents died. I had him brought here when he turned eleven, and I treated him like a grandson. But by the end of the year, he had turned to Voldemort."

Snape listened quietly, then voiced his opinion. "Perhaps he felt betrayed. When he was turned, you did seem to give up on him awfully fast. His kind can sense fear with absurd ease, but I have reason he can sense it more deeply even than others of his kind. I hate to say this, but he is extremely powerful."

"I know. He did mature very quickly, and he was powerful before. But with his family around him, he should be kinder, no matter what Heinrich Weisen said two years ago," Dumbledore sighed regretfully. Snape, however, winced at the name.

Over the next few weeks, Harry practiced spells. Hermione, and sometimes Ron, were helping him prepare for the Third Task. The spells he practiced included Stunning Spells, the Impediment Jinx, Jelly-Legs Jinx, the Four-Point Charm, and the Blasting Hex. He did very well, and even impressed Hermione. Ron hid his scowls and jealousy. A few days before the Third Task, Harry had another vision. He saw Wormtail talking to Voldemort, then another man came into the room. This other man was Voldemort's recently-returned servant. Harry knew him to be Moody, or rather, the imposter everyone calls Mad-Eye Moody.

Finally, the day of the Third Task arrived. Harry was as prepared as he could be, and he even had his vampire abilities. Between practice sessions, he had gone jogging and had practiced Shadow-Travel and Flying. He just knew that the Third Task was going to be the focal-point of everything. He knew that Voldemort was coming back tonight, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. When he came back from his morning run, he saw Molly Weasley with her son, Bill. They were walking up to the castle.

"Mrs. Weasley! Bill!" Harry called out as he came up to them. They turned around, and Molly smiled when she saw him. "Harry! We came to see you during the Third Task. We're very proud of you for doing so well," Molly said, still smiling. Harry noticed that her smile seemed rather forced. He extended his empath abilities and sensed that she was disappointed that he had not started dating Ginny. They walked in together, and saw Ron and Hermione talking together. Molly beamed, until Ron and Hermione started arguing again. They broke off bickering when they saw Harry, Molly, and Bill coming.

While Ron was talking to his mother and brother, Harry took Hermione aside. "Don't worry; I'll be fine during the Task. You know I can take care of myself, and I'll just eat something if I need to," Harry told her, his arm gently around her shoulder. She nodded, sniffling, and said, "But I still worry." Harry smiled softly and said, "I know, and I love you for it," as he squeezed her shoulder for a second. Bill saw, and winked.

Hermione firmly believed that Harry said he loves her for worrying was just him being nice. She had looked up vampires again just a few weeks ago, and had found nothing to indicate that vampires could have real feelings like that. At that point, she started working to fight her crush on Harry. She decided to settle for Ron, believing him to be the next best thing to Harry. _Though how we can have a relationship, I don't know. We fight way too much, and I know that's not healthy._

That night, Harry, Cedric, and Fleur met outside the maze. Bagman announced that the three of them would be going in first, as they had done the best in the previous Task, and then Krum would enter forty minutes later. They nod to each other and enter the maze, their wands drawn. When the path split, Cedric and Fleur took the left fork while Harry took the right. Harry continued cautiously, looking around corners before advancing, his wand held straight up in front of his face. When he encountered a wall of gold mist, he examined it carefully. The mist looked innocent enough, but Harry was still wary. He extended his empathy to try to tell if the mist was malevolent, but he couldn't be sure. He finally decided to walk through it.

When his world turned upside down, Harry figured out quickly that it was anti-gravity mist. He closed his eyes and kept walking, even though he was walking upside down. When he passed through the mist, he flipped back over and landed easily on one knee. He stood back up and dusted himself off, and continued on his way. _One obstacle passed, I don't know how many more to go._

Forty minutes later, Krum entered the maze. Harry could sense him the moment he entered, and knew that the Bulgarian was going to be a problem. It was ten minutes later that a scream rent the air, causing the hair to prickle all along Harry's arms. The fear was so palpable that Harry's eyes dilated and he immediately started sniffing the air. His eyes closed as he let his instincts guide him. He turned toward the hedge across from him and ran to it. He kicked through the bushes, forcing his way through. He strode through and saw Krum torturing Fleur. She had stopped screaming because she had fallen unconscious.

Harry leveled his wand at Krum and fired a Stunner. Krum fell back, Stunned, and Harry knelt beside Fleur. He knew she was going to be fine, if she got help. He raised his wand and fired red sparks into the air, then waited until help arrived. McGonagall came and said, "Harry, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but Krum used the Cruciatus Curse on Fleur. She's unconscious," Harry replied, and then walked away. It was now just he and Cedric going after the Cup, which meant that whatever happened, the victory would go to Hogwarts. A little later, he found Cedric.

"Harry! Do you know who screamed? I tried, but I couldn't find a way through!" Cedric called out when he saw his friend.

"It was Fleur. Krum attacked her. I sent up red sparks and stayed with her until McGonagall arrived," Harry replied.

"So that means that it's just you and me for the Cup. Alright, a Hogwarts victory is a Hogwarts victory," Cedric sighed. They decided to team up after that, since two were stronger than one, and they were both from Hogwarts. When they reached the Sphinx, she sat down and gave them their choices: they either try to answer the riddle she'd give, or back off without trying. They chose the riddle.

She stared at them for a second, before saying in a clear, musical voice,

_First think of the person who lives in disguise,_

_Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies._

_Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend,_

_The middle of middle and end of the end?_

_And finally give me the sound often heard_

_During the search for a hard-to-find word._

_Now string them together, and answer me this,_

_Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?_

The two boys repeated the lines, trying to figure out the clues. The Sphinx watched patiently, without saying or doing anything more threatening than lick her paw. "My first guess for the first two lines would be Snape," Harry joked. Cedric laughed suddenly, and then slowly stopped. He repeated the lines again. "Think of the person who lives in disguise, who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies. Snape is a _spy._" Harry thought about it for a moment, and then said, "You're right. The first part is spy, and Snape definitely is one."

"'The last thing to mend, the middle of middle and end of the end'," Harry paraphrased next. "I think this one is letters. The last letter in mend is 'd', which is also the middle of middle, and the end of the end."

"So 'd' it is, then," Cedric said brightly. "Now, the sound often heard during the search for a hard-to-find word."

"Er...I don't know," Harry said.

"That's it! You're a genius! It's 'er'; spy-d-er...spider," Cedric finished enthusiastically. Harry gave him a high-five, and then turned to the Sphinx. "A creature we wouldn't want to kiss is a _spider_," Harry announced proudly. The Sphinx replied, "Correct," then stood up and moved aside. The boys advanced, grinning. "Though, I wouldn't want to kiss Snape or a Dementor," Harry joked. Cedric shuddered, and then saw something massive looming above the hedge. "Ohhh... that's not good..." Cedric trailed off. Harry had already seen it, and swore quite colorfully.

"An Acromantula! Hagrid got one of his pets from the forest!" Cedric looked stunned as Harry said that.

"Those things are supposed to be vicious and man-eating! What the hell is Hagrid doing with one?!"

"One?" Harry retorted. "More like one thousand!" Cedric paled. They turned the corner and looked up. The beast was huge, at least twelve feet tall, and its fangs dripped venom. They started firing spells up at its belly, but that caused it to scuttle around frantically. Harry called out, "Cedric! I'm going to try something! Don't be alarmed!" He took his ring off and extended his claws, then leaped up and came down on top of the giant spider, and started slashing at its neck. He drew blood, and the spider started thrashing around until it threw Harry off. Cedric pulled Harry aside just in time, before the spider collapsed on top of him.

"Harry! Are you alright?" Cedric asked worriedly. Harry stood up, put his ring back on, and said, "I'm fine. It'll take a lot more than that to kill me...again." They stunned the spider once it was down, to make sure it stayed that way. They walked toward the Cup, but when they got close enough, Harry stopped.

"That's odd. Don't take the Cup, it's enchanted," Harry ordered. Instead, he walked forward slowly, and circled the Cup. After one trip around it, he was sure it was a portkey. "It's a portkey, set to take the first person to touch it to Little Hangleton."

"What should we do?" Cedric asked once the enormity of the Cup being a portkey had sunk in.

"I'll send Dumbledore a note, telling him. With luck, he can do something from there," Harry replied confidently. He conjured parchment and a quill, and settled down to write a quick note.

_Headmaster,_

_The Cup is a portkey, set to take the first person to touch it to Little Hangleton. What should we do?_

_HP_

Harry used a quick Charm to turn the note into a paper airplane and set it to fly to Dumbledore. Then they waited. Several minutes later, Dumbledore showed in the center of the maze. He looked angry and muttered, "Stupid boy. The Cup can't be a portkey." As Harry and Cedric looked on in horror, Dumbledore grabbed the Cup, looking smug. His smugness turned to horror a split second before he disappeared in a flash of rainbow sparkles. Harry had tried to grab him to stop him, but even with his vampire speed, he was too late. "That fool! I told him the damn thing was a portkey, and where it would take him, but he didn't listen!" Harry ranted.

Five minutes later, Dumbledore still hadn't come back. Harry knew the portkey was enchanted to allow a round-trip and that it would arrive outside the maze. With his Empath abilities fully extended, he would detect Dumbledore coming nearly a mile away. Finally, he'd had enough. He could feel his blood start to heat up, and he wanted action. "Cedric, send up red sparks after I leave. I'm going to go fetch Dumbledore," Harry ordered. Cedric nodded and drew his wand. Harry raised the hood on his cloak and took his ring off. When Cedric lit his wand, he watched as Harry closed his eyes.

Cedric felt smoke move the hem of his cloak, and looked down. When he looked back up, Harry was engulfed in a pillar of thick, black smoke. By the time the smoke cleared a second later, Harry was gone. "That was cool..." he muttered as he cast the red sparks.

Harry appeared in a column of smoke in the middle of a graveyard. He looked around and advanced cautiously. After a few minutes, he came upon a small gathering. He saw Dumbledore, facing him, tied to a headstone. He saw one other person, who he immediately identified as Wormtail. Harry grinned wickedly, his fangs bared. This was going to be fun...

The cauldron sitting in front of the headstone started smoking, a thick curtain rising around it. A tall, dark figure rose out of it and spoke in a ringing voice, "Robe me." The voice was cold and cruel, and Harry knew instantly who it was. Lord Voldemort had returned. Harry watched, crouching behind another headstone, as Voldemort circled Dumbledore, taunting him.

"You thought you were safe. You thought wrong," Voldemort sneered. "Now I have used your blood to restore my body. I am now more powerful than you could ever hope to be!"

"You are wrong... I know who your servants are...and once I get out of here...I'll have the Aurors pick them up...every last one of them..." Dumbledore wheezed. Harry had to smother a laugh; Dumbledore looked so comical like that. Voldemort turned to Wormtail and commanded, "Your arm." Wormtail held up the bleeding stump of his right arm, moaning piteously, but Voldemort sneered. "Your _other _arm."

Wormtail moaned again, nearly sobbing, as he held up his left arm. Voldemort pressed a forefinger to the Dark Mark emblazoned on his servant's forearm, and it turned black. Wormtail screamed in pain as it burned. "Now my loyal servants are coming..." the Dark Lord trailed off as black-robed and masked figures started appearing among the graves. Harry knew it would be time to act soon. Voldemort surrounded by loyal Death Eaters, started taunting Dumbledore some more. When he raised his wand for the killing blow, Harry struck.

Harry jumped up high into the air and came down, robes billowing behind him, on top of Voldemort. He started clawing, and Voldemort screamed in pain. He tried to get his attacker off his back, but couldn't. Harry clawed and clawed, and the Death Eaters closed in, their wands drawn. Then Harry leaped. He landed behind Dumbledore's headstone and, with one swipe of his two-inch-long claws, cut the rope holding Dumbledore. Voldemort had already fled, seeing his greatest foe freed by an unknown creature. Wormtail had fled long before.

Harry handed Dumbledore the portkey and snapped, "You thrice-damned old fool! Take this! It'll get you back to Hogwarts," before disappearing in a column of black smoke.

Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts and announced that Harry and Cedric had tied for the win. They split the prize-money, with Harry giving his to the Weasley twins. Hermione always beamed when she saw Harry, knowing he had rescued Dumbledore from Voldemort. It made it harder for her to give up her crush on him, but there was no way he could love her back...

EDITOR'S NOTE: Yes, yes, I know. Hermione doesn't think Harry can love her back. AAHHH! A mob of angry reviewers! Jumps in AH-64 Apache helicopter and flies for safety

But it will get better soon. I promise.

P.S. Blame the author :) Or not…


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Note: Now to begin Fifth Year

**Author's Note: **Now to begin Fifth Year. This year is going to be important, and it may be one of the longest years yet. I don't know yet how it will be. Please read and review.

**Chapter 15 Dementoids**

Albus Dumbledore walked the long halls in the Ministry of Magic, looking for a specific witch. The witch he was looking for was well-known for her prejudice against half-breeds, and he was hoping she might have an idea on how to deal with a particularly troublesome creature that had the gall to save his life after betraying him. He reached a door whose nameplate read 'Dolores Umbridge'. He smirked and opened the door without knocking. He was inwardly praying that Fudge wasn't in, as Fudge would likely arrest him if he saw him.

"How may I help you, Professor Dumbledore?" a sickly-sweet girlish voice asked him. He hid a cringe behind a conspiratorial leer.

"I come seeking your expertise on a matter of great importance," Dumbledore replied, trying to flatter her. It worked splendidly. She giggled girlishly, stretching her wide mouth grotesquely.

"I will do all I can to assist you, Professor. Please tell me about your problem," Umbridge replied when she stopped giggling.

"It's a half-breed problem, and I've tried everything," Dumbledore said. "I've even tried feeding it to a pack of dragons, but that didn't work!"

"So you want the problem eliminated? I have an idea... I have at my disposal fearsome creatures that are uniquely qualified to destroy problematic half-breeds... What do you think?" Umbridge replied. Dumbledore raised a silver eyebrow and said, "I think I know what you're talking about. Send five of them." Her eyes went round as saucers, but then replied, "Five it is."

Harry Potter was sitting on a swing in the park near his home. He kept remembering the aftermath of the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament, and how it so nearly ended badly for Dumbledore. _It's a good thing I went after him, though he would never admit it_, Harry thought to himself. He got up to head home at sunset. On the way, he met his cousin, Dudley. Dudley was saying goodbye to his "friends" when Harry came upon them. Dudley gestured imperiously at Harry to follow him.

As they were passing an alley, Harry sensed the void. He stopped, and grabbed Dudley's arm. "You really don't want to go down there," Harry said. But Dudley loved going against what Harry said, pulled his arm out of Harry's vice-like grip and went down the alley.

"Dudley, no!" Harry called out, but to no avail. "Shit." He went after Dudley, and found him cowering against the wall as a Dementor tried to pry his hands away from his mouth. Harry raised his wand, not caring about the Statute of Secrecy or anything like that. He had to save his cousin. "_Expecto Patronum_!" Harry called out, and a gigantic silver stag burst from the end of his wand and galloped toward the Dementor. "Dudley, stay there!" He went down the alley, looking for more Dementors. He took three steps, and was surrounded by four more of the vile creatures.

He spun around with his wand still raised, and called his stag back to him. The noble creature cantered back to him, chasing away two more Dementors before disappearing. The other two closed in on Harry and tried to administer their dreaded Kiss. Harry had no desire to get another look at what's underneath a Dementor's hood, so he cast the Patronus Charm again, and chased away the last two. He stood there, panting, and saw Dudley trying to get back to his feet.

"W-what w-were t-those t-things, H-Harry?" Dudley stammered, his teeth chattering.

"Those were Dementors, some of the vilest things in the world. They feed on happy thoughts," Harry answered, quickly getting his breath back. "Come on, let's get home before more of them come." He pulled Dudley out of the alley and back home, all the while on high alert. When they got home, Dudley told his parents about the Dementors, and Vernon started shouting at Harry.

"YOU DARE SET DEMENTOIDS ON MY SON!" Vernon bellowed at Harry, spit flying. Harry wiped a big glob of spit off his cheek calmly and replied, "I didn't set them on Dudley. In fact, I rather think someone tried setting them on me, and it was chance that they struck while Dudley was there."

"You think someone set them on you. For that to happen, you'd have to be important, which you are not," Vernon replied more quietly, his voice a little raspy from shouting so loud earlier. Harry looked him straight in the eye and said, "Someone must think I am important, or they wouldn't have set five Dementors on me."

"He's right, dad. Only one attacked me, and Harry did something to it so it left me alone. But I could feel four more of the things near Harry," Dudley suddenly chimed in, surprising Harry. Harry caught Dudley's eye after that statement, and could feel his cousin's gratitude. He smiled slightly. Vernon and Petunia calmed after that, and Petunia even thanked Harry for saving her son.

Harry thought it was over, until an owl flew into the kitchen and dropped a letter into his outstretched hand. He opened it, and groaned. Vernon snatched it away, as though hoping it would tell him who had sent Dementoids after his son. He read it, and crowed, "You get expelled, Potter! The freak school chucked you out!" Then another owl arrived, dropping another letter into Harry's outstretched hand. He read it and grinned, "You might want to read this, too, before you start celebrating." Vernon snatched it away, read it, his beady eyes narrowing with every word. He read it again, then went back to the previous letter, and then returned to the second one.

"B-but this can't be right! You were expelled, but this one says to disregard the one expelling you!" Vernon complained. Then there was a knock on the door. Petunia went to open it, and saw several people wearing cloaks standing there. Harry grinned when he saw them. "Sirius! Remus! What are you doing here?" he called out happily.

"We've come to take you with us, pup," Sirius replied with a smile. He stepped into the house and sneered at Vernon. "Come on, get your stuff. We have to get you there before our favorite person in the whole world finds out you're gone." Harry ran up the stairs, and got another vision when he reached his room. He swayed, and Sirius caught him. "Harry, are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine. I just got another vision. I saw a woman with the face of a toad leering at me. I got a really bad feeling about her," Harry replied. He quickly gathered his belongings and they went downstairs.

When they got outside, Sirius turned to Harry and said, "It's time for introductions. You already know Remus and Mad-Eye, of course, and this is Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks, Elphias Doge, Sturgis Podmore, Emmeline Vance, and Hestia Jones. They already know about your condition, Dumbledore let it slip to most of the Order. Dedalus Diggle chose not to come when he found out, but everyone else here trusts you." Harry nodded to each of them in turn as he put the names to the faces.

"This is just the Advance Guard, there are more of us waiting on brooms," Remus said. Harry took that as his cue to mount his broom. They all kicked off the ground and soared up into the sky and Moody led them to the Headquarters of this "Order" Sirius mentioned.

"You said Dumbledore let slip my condition, but what is he doing in the first place?" Harry called ahead to Sirius, the wind whipping his words away. Sirius looked back to answer him.

"We'll tell you when we land. Woohoo! I haven't flown like this in years!" Sirius screamed happily as he swooped around Harry in a figure eight.

When they finally landed outside a row of dingy houses, Remus gave Harry a piece of parchment and said, "Read it and memorize it." Harry obeyed, and Remus promptly burned it. Harry watched as two houses, number eleven and thirteen slid aside, revealing number twelve. They all entered, with Tonks knocking over an umbrella stand. The loud crash brought Molly Weasley to investigate. When Molly saw Harry, she opened her arms wide and invited him to hug her, which he did. When he touched her, however, he saw something. He saw Molly crouching over the dead bodies of her entire family, and sobbing hysterically.

"Dumbledore hasn't arrived yet, so the meeting hasn't started yet," Molly whispered. The rest of them hid their grins, as they weren't yet ready to clue her in yet. "Harry, you can go upstairs. Ron and Hermione are up there, but I don't know where Ginny is." Harry went upstairs and to the only bedroom he could tell was occupied. He first extended his empathic powers to make sure he wasn't interrupting anything, but Ron and Hermione were busy having another argument. Harry smiled, _some things never change._ He opened the door and walked in.

"Harry!" Ron shouted in surprise, as Harry was driven into the wall by the force of the hug he was wrapped up in. His only visual clue as to the identity of the person hugging him was the mass of brown curls in front of his face.

"Yes, Hermione, I love you too, but I have found that breathing is rather nice, too," Harry said, spitting hair out of his mouth. _Mmmm, I guess she likes strawberry-scented shampoo. Wait, does that sound perverted? _Harry let his internal debate go on as he inwardly moaned that she had let go of him.

"Sorry, Harry, but I missed you, and I was worried. When Dumbledore told us that you had been attacked, I thought the worst." Harry noticed how much Hermione blushed while she was saying that. Harry smiled softly and replied, "You don't have to worry, I told you that before the Third Task. It hasn't changed since then."

"Yes, but when you told me not to worry before the Third Task, that was before you jumped on V-Voldemort!" Hermione replied heatedly. Ron was backing away, thanking his lucky stars that Hermione was ripping into Harry now, instead of him. He backed all the way out of the room and closed the door with a snap. The sound of the door closing never interrupted Harry and Hermione. Harry crossed the room to the bed and sat down.

"Hermione, I did that because Dumbledore was in danger and I'm the only person who can protect him effectively, because of my new status," Harry whispered, not hurt at all by her outburst.

"Because you're undead," Hermione confirmed. Harry could see the brief flash of anger leaving her soft brown eyes.

"Yes." Hermione turned around, her arms crossed over her chest.

"What if Voldemort finds out you're a vampire? What then? What happens if he kills you, what happens to those who love you?" she asked with her back still to him.

"You'll go on living, as I did after I died four years ago," Harry replied.

"Oh, that's right, vampires don't have feelings. You don't care about people, you never will," Hermione nearly sobbed as she left the room. She never heard Harry whisper behind her, "I do have feelings...I do care..." She never saw the look of pain cross Harry's face. Instead, Ron saw the look on Harry's face.

"Let me guess: she accused you of being an unfeeling bastard for making her worry," Ron stated more than asked.

"You're right, she did," Harry confirmed. Ron whistled in shock, "That's a low blow in my book, but it seems to be the norm when girls worry. They blame it on the men, and it doesn't help us when we're actually at fault."

"Yeah, and that doesn't help me any," Harry complained.

"It's not supposed to. But anyway, Sirius is waiting for you downstairs in the kitchen, he said he wants to talk to you," Ron said. Harry nodded in thanks and left the room.

When Harry went downstairs, he found his way to the kitchen by following the voices. _Sometimes you've got to love being a vampire, _Harry thought with a grin. He opened the door and all talking ceased. "Harry!" Sirius called out gleefully. "I told you that we'd tell you about the Order and what Dumbledore's doing. Well, sit down and let's get started." Harry sat down next to Sirius.

"First of all, the Order of the Phoenix is a group dedicated to stopping Voldemort. Dumbledore heads it, just like he did during the first war. Those of us who came to get you, as we told you before, were the Advance Guard," Sirius said, then he pointed out others that Harry didn't know and weren't a part of that Advance Guard. Once again, there was no mention of a Mr. Dedalus Diggle. Harry pointed that out and Moody commended him on his powers of observation.

"Dedalus Diggle isn't here at this preliminary meeting because he'll arrive with Dumbledore," McGonagall answered with a sneer for the absent wizard. "He seems to have replaced Remus in Dumbledore's pocket." Harry nodded in understanding.

"Now, I'd like to propose something I'd rather Dumbledore didn't find out about until later," Sirius said. "I'd like to propose that Harry join the Order. His abilities would make him the perfect shock-troop." After a moment of stunned silence, a hand was raised into the air and someone spoke.

"I second the motion," Alastor Moody said, surprising everyone there, and giving new momentum to Sirius' proposal, which had briefly seemed to die before it could really begin.

"I third it," Minerva McGonagall voted, smiling at Harry. After two of the most influential members of the Order voted in favor of Harry joining at the age of fifteen, everyone else clamored to make their approval known. Kingsley Shacklebolt and Tonks nodded approvingly at Harry, while Kingsley and Moody looked him over appraisingly, hoping he might also want to become an Auror after school. The motion passed with a majority vote (it was a landslide), meaning that they didn't have to wait for Dumbledore to make an appearance and give them the final word. _Dumbledore is going to hate us, _Sirius thought with a wicked smile.

"I have a question," Harry said suddenly, and Sirius nodded for him to continue. "Do the Weasleys know about me?"

"No, they don't. They weren't here when Dumbledore opened his big mouth," Remus answered. Harry sighed in relief.

McGonagall then conjured another chair and placed it in the shadows in the corner. "You can hide in the shadow and listen to the real meeting. Dumbledore will never know your here until he finds out we voted you in. By that time, it'll be too late," she said. Harry nodded and took the other chair just as the door opened and Molly Weasley stuck her head in. "Dumbledore's arrived, and he's brought the stragglers." The door was pushed open wider and Dumbledore, Snape, and a man with a violet top hat came in, followed by Molly and Arthur Weasley.

"Now that we're all here, we can begin," Dumbledore announced, and then the door opened again.

"Sorry I'm late," Cedric Diggory said. "The bat I was following decided to take a wrong turn and leave me in Liverpool." Everyone chuckled, while Snape looked incandescent.

Dumbledore began again, "Now that we're all here, we can begin. Severus, I think you have a report." Snape nodded and made his report. Harry listened closely, and heard some things that didn't make sense. _More likely he's making up_ _this report as he goes! I've got to give the man credit, he sure does know how to make up stories on the fly, _Harry thought from his place in the shadows. He caught a crumpled-up piece of parchment that Sirius negligently tossed behind him, and unrolled it. He laughed inwardly at the picture on it of Snape with two heads. One head was telling Voldemort something, and the other was telling Dumbledore almost the same thing. The caption read, _Which head is the real one, Snape, Dumbledore, or Voldemort?_

Harry guessed that the "head" referred to the head of the Order. Which head is really leading the Order in its fight against Voldemort? The Dark Lord himself, the opportunistic Slytherin, or the "saint" a couple of brave souls have accused of working for Voldemort. Harry had an idea that he would present after this "meeting" was over. _This meeting is more like a think tank for Snape to bounce ideas off of, so he can decide which lie the Order would swallow the easiest,_ Harry thought disgustedly.

After the meeting ended, most of the people filed out of the room, leaving Molly to make dinner. As Harry stood up, she screeched, "Harry! You shouldn't be down here! The meeting just broke up!" Harry calmly replied, "I know that. I was invited to listen."

"But you're just a child! You shouldn't be involved in things like this, this doesn't concern you!" Molly wailed, but Sirius overruled her.

"As his godfather, I gave him permission to attend the meeting, and besides, this does concern him. It started to concern him the moment Voldemort failed to kill him when he was a baby. That was confirmed when Harry saved Dumbledore from Voldemort in June, but, of course, Voldemort doesn't know it was Harry," Sirius said, a little coolly.

Molly sobered, but then wailed again, "But he's a child! He shouldn't be involved in this, he's too young!"

"Harry is not a child, Molly!" McGonagall snapped. "He is fifteen years old, not five! He's nearly full grown, so stop treating him like a child!" Molly finally shut up.

"Oh, Harry, I almost forgot, you have a hearing at the Ministry to discuss your use of the Patronus Charm earlier this evening," McGonagall announced. "I think it's going to be down in the old courtrooms, and the entire Wizengamot is going to be there."

"I'm being tried by the entire Wizengamot? Then I'll make sure to look my best," Harry said offhandedly.

"You don't mean the courtrooms used during the Death Eater trials, do you?" Molly asked, startling everyone but Harry, as they had forgotten that she was there. "Yes, those are the ones," Sirius said. Molly looked ready to wail again, so Harry made himself scarce. His enhanced hearing didn't need Molly wailing multiple times.

In the hall, he found Cedric waiting there. "Hey, Harry! What was Mrs. Weasley wailing about?"

Harry stuck his finger in his ear and twisted it before replying, "She found out I was present at the meeting. And I think I'm deaf in one ear." Cedric laughed.

"Anyway, why did Snape try to leave you in Liverpool?" Harry asked, taking his finger out of his ear and trying to pop it.

"Because I told him that I wouldn't join Voldemort," Cedric replied.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Poor Hermione is still sadly misguided. Mmm, so sad. Dodges thrown paper cup Is that all you got? Dodges bowling ball I guess not. :)

Anyway, humor aside, thanks for reading and please review.


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